Today as with all fortnights we reflected from Oswald Chambers Devotions... My Utmost For His Highest.
---
Exhaustion means that our vital energies are completely worn out and spent. Spiritual exhaustion is never the result of sin, but of service. Whether or not you experience exhaustion will depend on where you get your supplies. Jesus said to Peter, "Feed My sheep," but He gave him nothing with which to feed them ( John 21:17 ). The process of being made broken bread and poured-out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other people’s souls until they learn to feed on God. They must drain you completely— to the very last drop. But be careful to replenish your supply, or you will quickly be utterly exhausted. Until others learn to draw on the life of the Lord Jesus directly, they will have to draw on His life through you. You must literally be their source of supply, until they learn to take their nourishment from God. We owe it to God to be our best for His lambs and sheep, as well as for Him.
Have you delivered yourself over to exhaustion because of the way you have been serving God? If so, then renew and rekindle your desires and affections. Examine your reasons for service. Is your source based on your own understanding or is it grounded on the redemption of Jesus Christ? Continually look back to the foundation of your love and affection and remember where your Source of power lies. You have no right to complain, "O Lord, I am so exhausted." He saved and sanctified you to exhaust you. Be exhausted for God, but remember that He is your supply. "All my springs are in you" ( Psalm 87:7 ).
For Similar Resources... read.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
God's Goodness (Season & Timing) Shared By Ozmung aka Ngumzo)
God's Goodness!! What more can I say but to say God has been a Faithful God.......taught me about Season and Times.
Well at times I’m really tempted to ask God why some people seem to have Microwave blessings unlike me.......yaaani after clearing school I get to meet some of my pals....and you see from outward appearance it tells it all that hawa wako Level nyingine. I used to ask how comes hawa.....wako 'blessed' kuniliko, until God starts working on you.
Ecc...3 shares about the seasons.......and as I walk this Faith I have discovered it aint easy at times especially if you don’t understand the seasons of God.
The reason I complain at times is coz I fail to see the season I’m in with Christ and thus because I may have missed a step in His will for me. Vs.11 in Ecc.3 shares about making everything beautiful in His time so you can imagine, God has made everything beautiful for me in my time and at times I miss to see that coz I operate not in His time by my Own timing.
So with God's goodness what can I not testify about it? He has given me the right friends for the right season. In my thinking would I have met people like MWAFOIR (Mwafrika Choir) to Minister with? Nope! But in God's Plan and Goodness....He knew we shall meet. Faithfully He has met all my needs......yaaani at times I say I live from hand to mouth only to forget, He sees my needs and has met them all. Now that’s the Lord's Goodness. God aint Nice He is Good. Hakuna siku nimelala Njaa. You know Part of being good is that you get corrected on the way, so pia hizi nimepokea wakati wake.
So nani kama GOD? Hakuna.....hata ukitembea Kote Kote.......hakuna kama yeye. So when I say the Lord is Good, that’s the True nature of Him. He never goes behind His work.
So in all Ecc 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Talk about the goodness of the Lord.........Silver and Gold I may never have but kama niko naye........Mambo Yote TOSHA.
Shared By Ngumzo At The Mwafrika ChatRoom On Wednesday 30th July, 2008.
-----
Response Testimony By Jenerous
My testimony is that sometimes I pray and I feel that najiongelesha. For example, I am unwell and I PRAY AND PRAY...and even ask others to pray with me..lakini bado siponi. Halafu out of the blues, God sends a word through someone, or during QT i just get an answer hata when I was not expecting it.
Mathew 7:7 - Ask you will receive. As AStar would say, if you ask in Jesus Name you will always receive. So my testimony is that our God is a God of NOW. Sio ule God wa Israel na kadhalika. He is a God of NOW and forever more.
"For ALL the Promises of God in Him [Christ Jesus] are Yea, and in Him Amen, unto the Glory of God by us" (2Corinthians 1:20). He answers prayers, all we have to do is be still and listen, trust and obey and have faith.
Well at times I’m really tempted to ask God why some people seem to have Microwave blessings unlike me.......yaaani after clearing school I get to meet some of my pals....and you see from outward appearance it tells it all that hawa wako Level nyingine. I used to ask how comes hawa.....wako 'blessed' kuniliko, until God starts working on you.
Ecc...3 shares about the seasons.......and as I walk this Faith I have discovered it aint easy at times especially if you don’t understand the seasons of God.
The reason I complain at times is coz I fail to see the season I’m in with Christ and thus because I may have missed a step in His will for me. Vs.11 in Ecc.3 shares about making everything beautiful in His time so you can imagine, God has made everything beautiful for me in my time and at times I miss to see that coz I operate not in His time by my Own timing.
So with God's goodness what can I not testify about it? He has given me the right friends for the right season. In my thinking would I have met people like MWAFOIR (Mwafrika Choir) to Minister with? Nope! But in God's Plan and Goodness....He knew we shall meet. Faithfully He has met all my needs......yaaani at times I say I live from hand to mouth only to forget, He sees my needs and has met them all. Now that’s the Lord's Goodness. God aint Nice He is Good. Hakuna siku nimelala Njaa. You know Part of being good is that you get corrected on the way, so pia hizi nimepokea wakati wake.
So nani kama GOD? Hakuna.....hata ukitembea Kote Kote.......hakuna kama yeye. So when I say the Lord is Good, that’s the True nature of Him. He never goes behind His work.
So in all Ecc 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Talk about the goodness of the Lord.........Silver and Gold I may never have but kama niko naye........Mambo Yote TOSHA.
Shared By Ngumzo At The Mwafrika ChatRoom On Wednesday 30th July, 2008.
-----
Response Testimony By Jenerous
My testimony is that sometimes I pray and I feel that najiongelesha. For example, I am unwell and I PRAY AND PRAY...and even ask others to pray with me..lakini bado siponi. Halafu out of the blues, God sends a word through someone, or during QT i just get an answer hata when I was not expecting it.
Mathew 7:7 - Ask you will receive. As AStar would say, if you ask in Jesus Name you will always receive. So my testimony is that our God is a God of NOW. Sio ule God wa Israel na kadhalika. He is a God of NOW and forever more.
"For ALL the Promises of God in Him [Christ Jesus] are Yea, and in Him Amen, unto the Glory of God by us" (2Corinthians 1:20). He answers prayers, all we have to do is be still and listen, trust and obey and have faith.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Sermon 6/08: Individuality: From My Utmost For His Highest
Today as with all fortnights we reflected from Oswald Chambers Devotions... My Utmost For His Highest
----
Jesus said to His disciples, ’If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . .’ —Matthew 16:24
Individuality is the hard outer layer surrounding the inner spiritual life. Individuality shoves others aside, separating and isolating people. We see it as the primary characteristic of a child, and rightly so. When we confuse individuality with the spiritual life, we remain isolated. This shell of individuality is God’s created natural covering designed to protect the spiritual life. But our individuality must be yielded to God so that our spiritual life may be brought forth into fellowship with Him. Individuality counterfeits spirituality, just as lust counterfeits love. God designed human nature for Himself, but individuality corrupts that human nature for its own purposes.
The characteristics of individuality are independence and self-will. We hinder our spiritual growth more than any other way by continually asserting our individuality. If you say, "I can’t believe," it is because your individuality is blocking the way; individuality can never believe. But our spirit cannot help believing. Watch yourself closely when the Spirit of God is at work in you. He pushes you to the limits of your individuality where a choice must be made. The choice is either to say, "I will not surrender," or to surrender, breaking the hard shell of individuality, which allows the spiritual life to emerge. In Matthew 5:23-24 The Holy Spirit narrows it down every time to one thing, It is your individuality that refuses to "be reconciled to your brother". God wants to bring you into union with Himself, but unless you are willing to give up your right to yourself, He cannot. ". . . let him deny himself . . ."— deny his independent right to himself. Then the real life-the spiritual life-is allowed the opportunity to grow.
For Similar Resources... read.
----
Jesus said to His disciples, ’If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . .’ —Matthew 16:24
Individuality is the hard outer layer surrounding the inner spiritual life. Individuality shoves others aside, separating and isolating people. We see it as the primary characteristic of a child, and rightly so. When we confuse individuality with the spiritual life, we remain isolated. This shell of individuality is God’s created natural covering designed to protect the spiritual life. But our individuality must be yielded to God so that our spiritual life may be brought forth into fellowship with Him. Individuality counterfeits spirituality, just as lust counterfeits love. God designed human nature for Himself, but individuality corrupts that human nature for its own purposes.
The characteristics of individuality are independence and self-will. We hinder our spiritual growth more than any other way by continually asserting our individuality. If you say, "I can’t believe," it is because your individuality is blocking the way; individuality can never believe. But our spirit cannot help believing. Watch yourself closely when the Spirit of God is at work in you. He pushes you to the limits of your individuality where a choice must be made. The choice is either to say, "I will not surrender," or to surrender, breaking the hard shell of individuality, which allows the spiritual life to emerge. In Matthew 5:23-24 The Holy Spirit narrows it down every time to one thing, It is your individuality that refuses to "be reconciled to your brother". God wants to bring you into union with Himself, but unless you are willing to give up your right to yourself, He cannot. ". . . let him deny himself . . ."— deny his independent right to himself. Then the real life-the spiritual life-is allowed the opportunity to grow.
For Similar Resources... read.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Sermon 5/08 : Replacing Bad With Good
Christian living is more than emptying one's life of evil . . . it also involves filling one's life with good. Jesus spoke a parable where an unclean spirit left a man and upon its return finding the house empty, swept and neatly in order it reentered the house taking with it seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and the last state of that man was worst than the first - Matthew 12:43-45. This parable demonstrates that it is not enough to empty one's life of evil, but one must also fill each his/her life with good. The temple of the demon must become the temple of God.
Endeavoring to life void of evil without replacing the evil with good robs life of meaning and purpose. A man revealed that he found it difficult to stop visiting a place where he played pool, had a few social drinks, told a lot of dirty jokes, and heard a lot of bad language. In his effort to break the routine he would simply go home and sit around bored with nothing to do. His boredom left his life feeling void of any real meaning or purpose. After a few weeks he would find himself back in the same old rut doing the same old thing.
The Christian life must not only be thought of in terms of what one should not do, but also in terms of what one should be doing. Godly living must be viewed from a positive perspective thinking in terms of filling one's life with wholesome thoughts, right attitudes and good deeds. A close examination of the New Testament reveals that it implicitly or explicitly commends an act of righteousness to replace every ungodly act that it condemns.
Jesus taught that bad attitudes must be replaced with good ones (Matthew 5:1-12); love must root out hate (Matthew 5:43-48); doing alms to God in secret replaces doing alms to be seen of men (Matthew 6:1-5); one must strive to lay up treasure in heaven rather than laying up riches upon the earth (Matthew 6:19-21); concern for the spiritual must take precedence over the concern for the physical (Matthew 6:25-34); digging the beam out of your eye must replace hunting the mote in our brother's eye (Matthew 7:1-5); the narrow way is to replace the broad way (Matthew 7:13-14); building a life upon a solid foundation is to replace the life built upon shifting sand (Matthew 7:24-27), etc.
Likewise Paul taught that telling the truth must supplant lying (Ephesians 4:25); an honest days work would cause one to have no need of stealing (Ephesians 4:28); filthy conversation is to be changed into a speech that will edify and minister grace unto the hearers (Ephesians 4:29); the works of the flesh must be displaced by the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:19-24); one must seek to be filled with the Spirit and not with wine (Ephesians 5:18), etc.
The easiest way to replace air in a bottle with water is simply to fill the bottle with water, thus driving out the air. Likewise, the easiest way to replace evil in one's life is, with the help of God, simply fill one's life with good, thus crowding out the evil. The idle life is doomed to become the devil's tool.
An untiring effort to have wholesome thoughts, to develop right attitudes, and to do good will drive out the unclean spirit and we will "Discover A Life with Purpose."
Adopted From FocusOnGod
Endeavoring to life void of evil without replacing the evil with good robs life of meaning and purpose. A man revealed that he found it difficult to stop visiting a place where he played pool, had a few social drinks, told a lot of dirty jokes, and heard a lot of bad language. In his effort to break the routine he would simply go home and sit around bored with nothing to do. His boredom left his life feeling void of any real meaning or purpose. After a few weeks he would find himself back in the same old rut doing the same old thing.
The Christian life must not only be thought of in terms of what one should not do, but also in terms of what one should be doing. Godly living must be viewed from a positive perspective thinking in terms of filling one's life with wholesome thoughts, right attitudes and good deeds. A close examination of the New Testament reveals that it implicitly or explicitly commends an act of righteousness to replace every ungodly act that it condemns.
Jesus taught that bad attitudes must be replaced with good ones (Matthew 5:1-12); love must root out hate (Matthew 5:43-48); doing alms to God in secret replaces doing alms to be seen of men (Matthew 6:1-5); one must strive to lay up treasure in heaven rather than laying up riches upon the earth (Matthew 6:19-21); concern for the spiritual must take precedence over the concern for the physical (Matthew 6:25-34); digging the beam out of your eye must replace hunting the mote in our brother's eye (Matthew 7:1-5); the narrow way is to replace the broad way (Matthew 7:13-14); building a life upon a solid foundation is to replace the life built upon shifting sand (Matthew 7:24-27), etc.
Likewise Paul taught that telling the truth must supplant lying (Ephesians 4:25); an honest days work would cause one to have no need of stealing (Ephesians 4:28); filthy conversation is to be changed into a speech that will edify and minister grace unto the hearers (Ephesians 4:29); the works of the flesh must be displaced by the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:19-24); one must seek to be filled with the Spirit and not with wine (Ephesians 5:18), etc.
The easiest way to replace air in a bottle with water is simply to fill the bottle with water, thus driving out the air. Likewise, the easiest way to replace evil in one's life is, with the help of God, simply fill one's life with good, thus crowding out the evil. The idle life is doomed to become the devil's tool.
An untiring effort to have wholesome thoughts, to develop right attitudes, and to do good will drive out the unclean spirit and we will "Discover A Life with Purpose."
Adopted From FocusOnGod
Friday, June 6, 2008
Sermon 4/08 Visions Become Reality: From My Utmost For Highest
The parched ground shall become a pool . . . —Isaiah 35:7
We always have a vision of something before it actually becomes real to us. When we realize that the vision is real, but is not yet real in us, Satan comes to us with his temptations, and we are inclined to say that there is no point in even trying to continue. Instead of the vision becoming real to us, we have entered into a valley of humiliation.
God gives us a vision, and then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of that vision. It is in the valley that so many of us give up and faint. Every God-given vision will become real if we will only have patience. Just think of the enormous amount of free time God has! He is never in a hurry. Yet we are always in such a frantic hurry. While still in the light of the glory of the vision, we go right out to do things, but the vision is not yet real in us. God has to take us into the valley and put us through fires and floods to batter us into shape, until we get to the point where He can trust us with the reality of the vision. Ever since God gave us the vision, He has been at work. He is getting us into the shape of the goal He has for us, and yet over and over again we try to escape from the Sculptor’s hand in an effort to batter ourselves into the shape of our own goal.
The vision that God gives is not some unattainable castle in the sky, but a vision of what God wants you to be down here. Allow the Potter to put you on His wheel and whirl you around as He desires. Then as surely as God is God, and you are you, you will turn out as an exact likeness of the vision. But don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had a vision from God, you may try as you will to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never allow it.
For Similar Resources... read.
We always have a vision of something before it actually becomes real to us. When we realize that the vision is real, but is not yet real in us, Satan comes to us with his temptations, and we are inclined to say that there is no point in even trying to continue. Instead of the vision becoming real to us, we have entered into a valley of humiliation.
God gives us a vision, and then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of that vision. It is in the valley that so many of us give up and faint. Every God-given vision will become real if we will only have patience. Just think of the enormous amount of free time God has! He is never in a hurry. Yet we are always in such a frantic hurry. While still in the light of the glory of the vision, we go right out to do things, but the vision is not yet real in us. God has to take us into the valley and put us through fires and floods to batter us into shape, until we get to the point where He can trust us with the reality of the vision. Ever since God gave us the vision, He has been at work. He is getting us into the shape of the goal He has for us, and yet over and over again we try to escape from the Sculptor’s hand in an effort to batter ourselves into the shape of our own goal.
The vision that God gives is not some unattainable castle in the sky, but a vision of what God wants you to be down here. Allow the Potter to put you on His wheel and whirl you around as He desires. Then as surely as God is God, and you are you, you will turn out as an exact likeness of the vision. But don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had a vision from God, you may try as you will to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never allow it.
For Similar Resources... read.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Sermon 3/08: Roll The Stone Away
Read John 11: 38-44
We all know and believe that Christ is Lord. Indeed that He is the resurrection and the only way to salvation. What we ignore sometimes is Christ’s call for our opening our hearts to Him for Him to cause a resurrection within us.
What are we saying? In the verses right before our scripture reading we see Jesus reiterating that He is the resurrection!! Verse 25,26 … 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
In as much as the sisters believed that Jesus was Christ they implied to Him that had He been there the Lazarus would be alive! Verse 21"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But was Christ there? Indeed He was!! Look at His conversation in verse 11 to 15… 11After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."
12His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
When Jesus ‘finally’ arrived Lazarus had been dead four days!!! But still He went to the tomb and ordered the stone to be rolled away! How many of us have been in dead situations… for days? Your relationships, career, finances etc DEAD!! How often do we feel Jesus alienated from our situations? Its as if He is bila heart for what we are going through! The fact is that Jesus is never away. He is always there. Nothing takes Him by surprise. You see as Christians we have turned Romans 8:23 to a sort of cliché!! … that all things work together for good for they that love the LORD… but my dear brothers its ALL things working TOGETHER… your experiences, your dead moments, your alive moments, all moments… not for you but for Him. Remember Colosians 1:16 all things were made BY Him FOR Him !!
Next issue. When Christ finally got to the tomb He said… take the stone away. Martha’s response was "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." How many of us has Christ approached to cause a resurrection of our hearts (returning to our first love etc) and we consciously and unconsciously protest that there is a bad odor!! What could be bad odor you ask. May be its your pervasion, or corruption, may be it this bad relationship that you have been unable to get yourself out, may be you are struggling with drugs or pornography… the odor of your heart could be just about anything… and yet Christ states… take the stone away !!! brothers and sisters, watu… lets hear Christ’s call and take the stone away. Rev 3:20,21 says… 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
Believe in your heart, confess with your mouth and let Jesus cause His resurrection for you today AND forever.
AMEN...
Preached By Pappa At The Mwafrika ChatRoom On Friday 30th May, 2008.
We all know and believe that Christ is Lord. Indeed that He is the resurrection and the only way to salvation. What we ignore sometimes is Christ’s call for our opening our hearts to Him for Him to cause a resurrection within us.
What are we saying? In the verses right before our scripture reading we see Jesus reiterating that He is the resurrection!! Verse 25,26 … 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
In as much as the sisters believed that Jesus was Christ they implied to Him that had He been there the Lazarus would be alive! Verse 21"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But was Christ there? Indeed He was!! Look at His conversation in verse 11 to 15… 11After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."
12His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
When Jesus ‘finally’ arrived Lazarus had been dead four days!!! But still He went to the tomb and ordered the stone to be rolled away! How many of us have been in dead situations… for days? Your relationships, career, finances etc DEAD!! How often do we feel Jesus alienated from our situations? Its as if He is bila heart for what we are going through! The fact is that Jesus is never away. He is always there. Nothing takes Him by surprise. You see as Christians we have turned Romans 8:23 to a sort of cliché!! … that all things work together for good for they that love the LORD… but my dear brothers its ALL things working TOGETHER… your experiences, your dead moments, your alive moments, all moments… not for you but for Him. Remember Colosians 1:16 all things were made BY Him FOR Him !!
Next issue. When Christ finally got to the tomb He said… take the stone away. Martha’s response was "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." How many of us has Christ approached to cause a resurrection of our hearts (returning to our first love etc) and we consciously and unconsciously protest that there is a bad odor!! What could be bad odor you ask. May be its your pervasion, or corruption, may be it this bad relationship that you have been unable to get yourself out, may be you are struggling with drugs or pornography… the odor of your heart could be just about anything… and yet Christ states… take the stone away !!! brothers and sisters, watu… lets hear Christ’s call and take the stone away. Rev 3:20,21 says… 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
Believe in your heart, confess with your mouth and let Jesus cause His resurrection for you today AND forever.
AMEN...
Preached By Pappa At The Mwafrika ChatRoom On Friday 30th May, 2008.
Is My Sacrifice Living: From My Utmost For His Highest
Abraham built an altar . . . ; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar . . . —Genesis 22:9
This event is a picture of the mistake we make in thinking that the ultimate God wants of us is the sacrifice of death. What God wants is the sacrifice through death which enables us to do what Jesus did, that is, sacrifice our lives. Not— "Lord, I am ready to go with You . . . to death" (Luke 22:33 ). But— "I am willing to be identified with Your death so that I may sacrifice my life to God."
We seem to think that God wants us to give up things! God purified Abraham from this error, and the same process is at work in our lives. God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself. It is a matter of loosening the bands that hold back our lives. Those bands are loosened immediately by identification with the death of Jesus. Then we enter into a relationship with God whereby we may sacrifice our lives to Him.
It is of no value to God to give Him your life for death. He wants you to be a "living sacrifice"— to let Him have all your strengths that have been saved and sanctified through Jesus (Romans 12:1). This is what is acceptable to God.
For Similar Resources... read.
This event is a picture of the mistake we make in thinking that the ultimate God wants of us is the sacrifice of death. What God wants is the sacrifice through death which enables us to do what Jesus did, that is, sacrifice our lives. Not— "Lord, I am ready to go with You . . . to death" (Luke 22:33 ). But— "I am willing to be identified with Your death so that I may sacrifice my life to God."
We seem to think that God wants us to give up things! God purified Abraham from this error, and the same process is at work in our lives. God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself. It is a matter of loosening the bands that hold back our lives. Those bands are loosened immediately by identification with the death of Jesus. Then we enter into a relationship with God whereby we may sacrifice our lives to Him.
It is of no value to God to give Him your life for death. He wants you to be a "living sacrifice"— to let Him have all your strengths that have been saved and sanctified through Jesus (Romans 12:1). This is what is acceptable to God.
For Similar Resources... read.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sermon 2/08:: Be of Courage - By Bhengi!!
God will never allow you to go into temptation without a reason!
Let me show you something. When you are saved the bible says you become one in the spirit with God right? That you worship him in truth and in spirit because himself is a spirit
So let’s look at Job. When satan wanted to tempt him he had to first go to God and ask for permission. You see when you activate your anointing and God is alive in you and righteousness or the fear of the lord is with you Satan can never come to you without first of all seeking permission. So when he asked God he said go and see for yourself that Job loves me with all his heart. So to answer your question God biggest will when he allows us to go into temptation is because he wants his name to be glorified when we come out winners.
Let me ask you a question. When you are over a hard time in your life what does it become? I will tell you; it becomes a testimony because you not only come out victorious but also God is glorified and your faith becomes more stranger. But get me God will only help those who love him only because he says that whoever destroys the temple he will also be destroyed.
One thing is certain people of God stick to the word and you will come back with a testimony. I feel the anointing. Praise God, Hallelujah.
Let me show you something else. When God was creating the world he used words according to his will, ok? Will here stands for his mind, he was thinking of what to make and then he would do it. So when he created a man he gave him his image. Now this mind we have was contaminated and it became no more holy before God. So he came around with Jesus coming to die for us ok! When Jesus came and died; oh my my my do I like this, He renewed us to become of new bread.
A new breed that he says now he brought out a new meaning to this life what is referred to as the basics of life. Those of the world have their basic needs, but when we come this new life we have our new basics of life. No longer basic needs but they become basics of life.
Let me show you what they are; the word and the spirit!! So for us to become victorious
this is what we need to do. Let me explain in the next five minutes.
The bible says matt. 6:33 seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you. Kingdom stands for righteousness, the fear of the lord. The bible says the fear of the lord of the lord is beginning of everything. So when we become of the lord then everything else becomes easy to handle and live with. The Holy Spirit is activated in us and thea is a constant communication between the trinity and ourselves.
So what then do we need to know? The bible says that the righteousness shall come out of trouble. Be of courage and God will get you out of all whatever you call trouble according to your definition.
Preached By Bhengi At The Mwafrika ChatRoom On Thursday May 15th, 2008.
Let me show you something. When you are saved the bible says you become one in the spirit with God right? That you worship him in truth and in spirit because himself is a spirit
So let’s look at Job. When satan wanted to tempt him he had to first go to God and ask for permission. You see when you activate your anointing and God is alive in you and righteousness or the fear of the lord is with you Satan can never come to you without first of all seeking permission. So when he asked God he said go and see for yourself that Job loves me with all his heart. So to answer your question God biggest will when he allows us to go into temptation is because he wants his name to be glorified when we come out winners.
Let me ask you a question. When you are over a hard time in your life what does it become? I will tell you; it becomes a testimony because you not only come out victorious but also God is glorified and your faith becomes more stranger. But get me God will only help those who love him only because he says that whoever destroys the temple he will also be destroyed.
One thing is certain people of God stick to the word and you will come back with a testimony. I feel the anointing. Praise God, Hallelujah.
Let me show you something else. When God was creating the world he used words according to his will, ok? Will here stands for his mind, he was thinking of what to make and then he would do it. So when he created a man he gave him his image. Now this mind we have was contaminated and it became no more holy before God. So he came around with Jesus coming to die for us ok! When Jesus came and died; oh my my my do I like this, He renewed us to become of new bread.
A new breed that he says now he brought out a new meaning to this life what is referred to as the basics of life. Those of the world have their basic needs, but when we come this new life we have our new basics of life. No longer basic needs but they become basics of life.
Let me show you what they are; the word and the spirit!! So for us to become victorious
this is what we need to do. Let me explain in the next five minutes.
The bible says matt. 6:33 seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you. Kingdom stands for righteousness, the fear of the lord. The bible says the fear of the lord of the lord is beginning of everything. So when we become of the lord then everything else becomes easy to handle and live with. The Holy Spirit is activated in us and thea is a constant communication between the trinity and ourselves.
So what then do we need to know? The bible says that the righteousness shall come out of trouble. Be of courage and God will get you out of all whatever you call trouble according to your definition.
Preached By Bhengi At The Mwafrika ChatRoom On Thursday May 15th, 2008.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Inaugural Happy Hour Sermon: Are You Blinded And Begging? Call The More !!
Read Mark 10:46-52
The story is straight forward, the man had been blind (probably all his life). His life must have been one long routine, sitting by the roadside and begging. On this day he heard a crowd… he must have initially told himself … leo nime angukia, nitapata kitu ya kishua!! However as information filtered through he had that it was Jesus and immediately started calling out for Him. He did not just call out but also placed his request to Jesus as well. Verse 47, When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
However, it is recorded that many rebuked the blind beggar telling him to keep quiet, BUT… he shouted all the more… Son of David, have mercy on me!
As candid as the blind man was with his request to Jesus, so was Jesus with His request from the blind beggar, verse 51"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. And the man was clear in his mind about what he wanted, his immediate reply?? Rabbi, I want to see.
Lets stop for a moment and think about this situation and our lives. Many of us have ‘issues’. We may not be blind but we have struggled or are struggling with some darkness in our lives. Probably its your relationships, your financial status may be health or just your walk with Christ.
You know that Jesus is always available to you and have been calling out to Him to have mercy on you!! But the crowd has kept us at bay. The crowd could be your brethren, your parents, your siblings… indeed the crowd could also be inside you, your doubts, your lack of faith, you logic or your impatience. Lets learn a quick lesson from the beggar!! When the crowd tried to bring him down, he shouted all the more… have you done that? What do you do when things seem not to be going your way? What do you do when you seem to trapped in one long routine? Do you shout the more or do you look for your ‘own’ solutions? Do you reason out with yourself and the world, sometimes even compromising your faith? Hear me out my brothers and sisters calling out the more is not just a matter of repeating your selfish prayers (prayers based on what you want rather than what you need, prayers based on mere prosperity rather than the will of God) calling out the more is seeking God earnestly, developing your relationship with Him, engaging with Him through out, involving Him in all that we do, knowing His purpose in you … in so doing your faith in Him grows and it is recorded that without faith you cannot please God (Heb 11:6)… that’s a sermon for another day.
That’s not the only lesson from the blind man… after calling out and Jesus seeking Him out Jesus asked him what he wanted… and the blind beggar was quick with His answer!! My dear brothers, after calling out to God in the right way and pleasing God by your growing faith well then Jesus turns to you and asks what you want done for you!! How many of us have reached this level of relationship with JC hadi anatuuliza, naweza ka kuduia what? And yet because of our spiritual insensitivity have ended up missing out on the question… or may be we jusy get caught up with the crowd and just do not hear Jesus ask.
Brethren, lets call out to Jesus all the more (through prayer, bible reading, study of the bible, continued meditation on the Word of God and through fellowship with believers) and also lets build up our spiritual sensitivity to hear Jesus speak to us and we answer appropriately.
For further study, check out the story of the Israelites exploring the promised land and the reaction of different people to what they saw and further, the CROWDS reaction to the report that was given in Numbers 13:1 to Numbers 14:4
Are you blinded and begging? Call on Jesus!!
Is the crowd putting you off? Call the more!!
KUTOKA CHURCH STRAIGHT TO THE CLUB: BS OUTLINE
1. What is music? (Members contribution from personal understanding)
-Its origins
-Background
-Its role in todays world (in worship and otherwise)
2. Christians headed to the clubs?
-Identify possible reasons
-Justify the reasons
-Pro’s and cons
3. Experiences of those who have attended the sessions
4. Lessons from the Bible
Matt 28:19-20, 2 Cor 6:14-18,
5. Questions:
· For The Now:
Who has been sent? Are they adequately equipped? What’s the role of the ‘crowd’?
· For the After:
Where do we go from here? What do we expect to be the next move? How will the world change and how will the church change?
--------
Compiler's Notes:
· Under 4. above please include other relevant scriptures as presented by participants
· Under 3. Invite sharing of honest experiences from those who have attended the session: any dislikes, discomforts, positive reports etc
· Under 5(a). Be clear on the whether this is done for the entertainment or for ministry. If for ministry, who has been sent? The ‘evangelist’ or the believer tagging along? Further, is the ‘evangelist’ adequately equipped to overcome the strongholds already established by the enemy? Why are there more people running to concerts and feel good experiences and less being involved in mission and exposition?Under 5(b). Explore the possibilities going forward. Will the people reached turn to church and drop the clubbing? Will the church become ‘infiltrated’ and lower its moral credibility?
-Its origins
-Background
-Its role in todays world (in worship and otherwise)
2. Christians headed to the clubs?
-Identify possible reasons
-Justify the reasons
-Pro’s and cons
3. Experiences of those who have attended the sessions
4. Lessons from the Bible
Matt 28:19-20, 2 Cor 6:14-18,
5. Questions:
· For The Now:
Who has been sent? Are they adequately equipped? What’s the role of the ‘crowd’?
· For the After:
Where do we go from here? What do we expect to be the next move? How will the world change and how will the church change?
--------
Compiler's Notes:
· Under 4. above please include other relevant scriptures as presented by participants
· Under 3. Invite sharing of honest experiences from those who have attended the session: any dislikes, discomforts, positive reports etc
· Under 5(a). Be clear on the whether this is done for the entertainment or for ministry. If for ministry, who has been sent? The ‘evangelist’ or the believer tagging along? Further, is the ‘evangelist’ adequately equipped to overcome the strongholds already established by the enemy? Why are there more people running to concerts and feel good experiences and less being involved in mission and exposition?Under 5(b). Explore the possibilities going forward. Will the people reached turn to church and drop the clubbing? Will the church become ‘infiltrated’ and lower its moral credibility?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
