Do you still remember what people were worried about beginning of last year? I will tell you; 1) R11 petrol, 2) high interest rates, 3) electricity ‘load shading,’ and 4) Polokwane. Because of fear of these issues many people packed their bags and left South Africa. But if look again at these issues, ALL of them seems to be sorted somehow. One respected professional actually predicted that by 2015 there will be no car in the roads because fuel prices will be beyond the reach of many people. But today petrol and interest rates are down. By the way when did you last experience loading shading. It seems suddenly we have enough electricity. For those not happy with the Polokwane conference a new party came in!
I am asking myself this question, “Was there any real reason to be afraid?” Why were these things so hot issues last year? Maybe we should ask ourselves who were we listening to? The media makes more money from bad news. Last year I realized that each time after watching evening news bulletins on a certain TV station I would not feel happy. It was like the news had a depressing effect on me. One day we decided with my wife to count the headlines on their news bulleting and classify them either as good news or bad news. The results were amazing. Mind you this did not include sports news and the weather. There were 11 news headlines, 9 of them were BAD and ONLY two were good. Immediately we decided to change news station. I considered that guarding MY FAITH was of paramount importance.
Ladies and gentlemen, GOD IS IN CHARGE OF SOUTH AFRICA! I know this because I am praying for South Africa. My friends are praying for SA. And I believe many people are also praying for this country all over the world. South Africa will not fall, but God in his power is working in unfamiliar ways.
Let’s go North of the Limpopo. God is in charge of Zimbabwe. I know this because I am praying for Zimbabwe. My friends are also praying for Zimbabwe. And I believe many people are also praying for Zimbabwe all over the world. We do not support Mugabe or Tsvangirai, we do not look to the east or the west, ANC, COPE , Hellen etc. If politicians were able to cause a nation to prosper, then why are people still poor, all over the world, considering the fact that every country has a whole lot of politicians. It is God put who up leaders and he put the down again.
As Christians, we are looking ABOVE to God, for divine intervention. For God himself to save mankind. We enforce the kingdom of God by our faith and prayer in love. Because we have the love of God, our father, we love our enemies i.e. people who hate us. We desire good things to happen even to bad people, because our father gives jobs, food, rain and goodies both to the good and the evil. This is what we do, displaying the glory of our father!
We must pay more attention to voice of God than to the voice of the media. Jesus himself said ‘in the world you will have many trouble’ but he add on and said but ‘take heart I have overcome.’ Problems will come and go but our faith MUST remain unshaken. Like the seeds which fall on thorns, the world can choke our faith.
We are ready to FORGIVE those who do wrong to us or do wrong to our friends. We see other people as God see them. After all they are made in the image of God. In image may not be coming not so right, but we pray for them so that the true image of God is reflected as they take in Jesus. The life of person who broke into your house is more evaluable to God than the stuff he/she stole from you. Our primary source of information is the Holy Spirit reinforced by the Word of God. Jesus said ‘when He come (the Holy Spirit), he will reveal to you ALL things.’ In this time, the ones who listen to the Holy Spirit will stand firm. But those who follow the media will be tossed from here and there (James 1:6-8)
Ladies and gentlemen our attitudes are like this. The glass is either half full or half empty. If you are looking from above, using God perspective, it’s half full because our target is to fill it. If you use the world’s earthly view point, from below, it is half empty because we are afraid of it getting empty.
If you look in history or right in the Bible, people of God faced many adversities; famines, natural disasters, wars etc, but in these time the HAND OF GOD WAS MIGHTY TO SAVE. Even if things don’t go the way we want or expected, know that our father, THE POTTER, has bigger plans. With time, whether we are still here on earth or in heaven, we will see and understand the BIGGER PICTURE. Be still and KNOW THAT HE IS GOD!
By Taka Sande
Read more!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Blessings,
During one of my daily readings I came across the following devotion by Eugene H. Peterson who as you know is the translator of The Message. As I am working at the Innovation Hub and very actively involved in building an ICT platform in dealing with the orphans and vulnerable children crisis in the country, I was particularly struck by what Peterson wrote. I have been mulling over the message and thought of you and felt I should share the devotion. Be blessed!
Quote
Busyness in an illness of spirit
Busyness is an illness of spirit, a rush from one thing to another because there is no ballast of vocational integrity and no confidence in the primacy of grace. In order for there to be conversation and prayer that do the pastoral work of meeting the intimacy needs among people, there must be a wide margin of quite leisure that defies the functional, technological, dehumanizing definitions that are imposed upon people by others in the community.
Unquote
Psalm 131:2
I’ve kept my feet on the ground, I’ve cultivated a quite heart, like a baby content in its mother’s arms, my soul is a baby content. The Message
I trust that this will bless you as it blessed me. Know that we as a shepherding team want to stay within the primacy of grace and if you want to just talk, pray or fellowship in a wide margin of quite leisure, let us know so that together we can discover what it is like to be content and to have a quite heart. Read more!
During one of my daily readings I came across the following devotion by Eugene H. Peterson who as you know is the translator of The Message. As I am working at the Innovation Hub and very actively involved in building an ICT platform in dealing with the orphans and vulnerable children crisis in the country, I was particularly struck by what Peterson wrote. I have been mulling over the message and thought of you and felt I should share the devotion. Be blessed!
Quote
Busyness in an illness of spirit
Busyness is an illness of spirit, a rush from one thing to another because there is no ballast of vocational integrity and no confidence in the primacy of grace. In order for there to be conversation and prayer that do the pastoral work of meeting the intimacy needs among people, there must be a wide margin of quite leisure that defies the functional, technological, dehumanizing definitions that are imposed upon people by others in the community.
Unquote
Psalm 131:2
I’ve kept my feet on the ground, I’ve cultivated a quite heart, like a baby content in its mother’s arms, my soul is a baby content. The Message
I trust that this will bless you as it blessed me. Know that we as a shepherding team want to stay within the primacy of grace and if you want to just talk, pray or fellowship in a wide margin of quite leisure, let us know so that together we can discover what it is like to be content and to have a quite heart. Read more!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Word for Zimbabwe
That after King Saul died with his son on the battlefield, King David became King over the house of Judah and Abner made another son of King Saul king over Israel. 2 Samuel 2:8-11.
But because King David was chosen and anointed, he grew stronger and stronger and the house the son of Saul grew weaker and weaker. Eventually King Dawid became King over Judah and Israel. 2 Samuel 3-1We believe that the same principle will apply for Zimbabwe, the new system put in place will grow stronger and stronger, whilst the old system that did not work will become weaker and weaker and will eventually disappear. This was confirmed by a vision of a dead plant with a new shoot coming out of the dead plant. We pray that this will be a word of encouragement.
Word from Karl Winter one of our congregational Shepherds Read more!
But because King David was chosen and anointed, he grew stronger and stronger and the house the son of Saul grew weaker and weaker. Eventually King Dawid became King over Judah and Israel. 2 Samuel 3-1We believe that the same principle will apply for Zimbabwe, the new system put in place will grow stronger and stronger, whilst the old system that did not work will become weaker and weaker and will eventually disappear. This was confirmed by a vision of a dead plant with a new shoot coming out of the dead plant. We pray that this will be a word of encouragement.
Word from Karl Winter one of our congregational Shepherds Read more!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Cup by Francis Frangipane
The Cup
Part Three: Leadership is a Call to Die
In Matthew 20:17-19, Jesus sought to prepare His disciples for the hardships that awaited them. He warned that a time was coming when He would be mocked, scourged and crucified for the sake of redemption. In the midst of this utterly sober warning, incredibly, the mother of James and John requested of Jesus fulfillment of her family's ambitions! She said, "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left" (v. 21). She's thinking advancement, position and place; Jesus is thinking scourging, mocking and death. She's looking for the crown; Christ spoke of the cross. Jesus' answer speaks not only to silence her ambitions, He speaks to ours as well: "You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" (v. 22). Amazingly, they said to Him, "We are able." In truth, they hadn't any idea of the price that was to be paid. It was only pride, ignorance and ambition talking. Yet, listen to how Jesus answered them: "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father" (v.23). Hear this you who desire true spiritual fulfillment. Jesus was telling them, I cannot fulfill your ambitions. I can only show you how to die. Yet, even in their immaturity, Jesus knew they would overcome. He assures them, "My cup you shall drink." They would outgrow human ambition and become great examples for us. And we too shall drink His cup. Jesus describes the elements of that cup as He continued, again slaying the dragon of ambition, "Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give Himself as a ransom for many" (vv. 27-28). If we will advance with Christ, consider the words He uses to describe the doorway into power: "slave . . . serve . . . ransom." Notice, He didn’t point out the rewards, which are many; He showed them the way to true resurrection power. Give yourself as "a ransom" for the sake of your family, your church or city. Position yourself in prayer, fasting and faith for others. Stand in the gap so others might live. This is the cup that leads to spiritual fulfillment. But let me assure you, this is not a gloomy path; this is the path to the life of heaven. For when Christ lives in us, He comes with an overwhelming, sustaining joy. The Scripture says, looking at the joy set before Him, Christ endured the cross (Heb. 12:2). The cross delivers us from the prison of self-absorption; it releases us into the true reality of God, in whose "presence is fullness of joy" and in whose right hand are "pleasures forever" (Ps. 16:11). One may argue, "You don't understand Francis, I've been hurt." Yes, we all face heartache and disappointment, and the pains we experience can be deep. Yet, in seeking justice for ourselves, we must guard against the voice of self-pity. Indeed, self- pity keeps all our wounds alive. Instead of carrying the cross, we carry the offense. We must rebuke self-pity and command it to leave. We are followers of Christ! Therefore, forgive the offense and let it go. This is not a deep truth; it is the basic path of Christ! Paul wrote of the source of miracles and virtue in his life. He said, "That the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted . . . but not crushed . . . always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus might be manifested in our body" (2 Cor. 4:7-10). What is this "dying of Jesus"? It is dying in the manner Jesus died: when offenses come, when we are struck with injustice, when people fail or even betray us, we position ourselves in redemption; we pray the mercy prayer, "Father, forgive them." The only way ambition can be fulfilled is if we are ambitious for Christ to be revealed through us. Paul continued, "For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you" (2 Cor. 4:11-12). Beloved, death has a work that it accomplishes in us. Is this not exactly what we desire above all things: "the life of Jesus . . . manifested in our mortal flesh"? Paul says, "So death works in us." In the hands of our eternal Designer, death is not our enemy; it actually becomes an ally in the transformational process of our souls. It performs a work in us we cannot otherwise fulfill. For the death of our old self leads to the manifest life of Jesus. Here abides true spiritual fulfillment, not in our striving to create a place for ourselves, but in laying down self to create a place for Jesus. Leadership is a call to die. Spiritual maturity is to drink deeply of the cup of Christ.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Please feel free to forward this message to others; acknowledging our web site would be kindly appreciated. www.frangipane.org Read more!
Part Three: Leadership is a Call to Die
In Matthew 20:17-19, Jesus sought to prepare His disciples for the hardships that awaited them. He warned that a time was coming when He would be mocked, scourged and crucified for the sake of redemption. In the midst of this utterly sober warning, incredibly, the mother of James and John requested of Jesus fulfillment of her family's ambitions! She said, "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left" (v. 21). She's thinking advancement, position and place; Jesus is thinking scourging, mocking and death. She's looking for the crown; Christ spoke of the cross. Jesus' answer speaks not only to silence her ambitions, He speaks to ours as well: "You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" (v. 22). Amazingly, they said to Him, "We are able." In truth, they hadn't any idea of the price that was to be paid. It was only pride, ignorance and ambition talking. Yet, listen to how Jesus answered them: "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father" (v.23). Hear this you who desire true spiritual fulfillment. Jesus was telling them, I cannot fulfill your ambitions. I can only show you how to die. Yet, even in their immaturity, Jesus knew they would overcome. He assures them, "My cup you shall drink." They would outgrow human ambition and become great examples for us. And we too shall drink His cup. Jesus describes the elements of that cup as He continued, again slaying the dragon of ambition, "Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give Himself as a ransom for many" (vv. 27-28). If we will advance with Christ, consider the words He uses to describe the doorway into power: "slave . . . serve . . . ransom." Notice, He didn’t point out the rewards, which are many; He showed them the way to true resurrection power. Give yourself as "a ransom" for the sake of your family, your church or city. Position yourself in prayer, fasting and faith for others. Stand in the gap so others might live. This is the cup that leads to spiritual fulfillment. But let me assure you, this is not a gloomy path; this is the path to the life of heaven. For when Christ lives in us, He comes with an overwhelming, sustaining joy. The Scripture says, looking at the joy set before Him, Christ endured the cross (Heb. 12:2). The cross delivers us from the prison of self-absorption; it releases us into the true reality of God, in whose "presence is fullness of joy" and in whose right hand are "pleasures forever" (Ps. 16:11). One may argue, "You don't understand Francis, I've been hurt." Yes, we all face heartache and disappointment, and the pains we experience can be deep. Yet, in seeking justice for ourselves, we must guard against the voice of self-pity. Indeed, self- pity keeps all our wounds alive. Instead of carrying the cross, we carry the offense. We must rebuke self-pity and command it to leave. We are followers of Christ! Therefore, forgive the offense and let it go. This is not a deep truth; it is the basic path of Christ! Paul wrote of the source of miracles and virtue in his life. He said, "That the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted . . . but not crushed . . . always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus might be manifested in our body" (2 Cor. 4:7-10). What is this "dying of Jesus"? It is dying in the manner Jesus died: when offenses come, when we are struck with injustice, when people fail or even betray us, we position ourselves in redemption; we pray the mercy prayer, "Father, forgive them." The only way ambition can be fulfilled is if we are ambitious for Christ to be revealed through us. Paul continued, "For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you" (2 Cor. 4:11-12). Beloved, death has a work that it accomplishes in us. Is this not exactly what we desire above all things: "the life of Jesus . . . manifested in our mortal flesh"? Paul says, "So death works in us." In the hands of our eternal Designer, death is not our enemy; it actually becomes an ally in the transformational process of our souls. It performs a work in us we cannot otherwise fulfill. For the death of our old self leads to the manifest life of Jesus. Here abides true spiritual fulfillment, not in our striving to create a place for ourselves, but in laying down self to create a place for Jesus. Leadership is a call to die. Spiritual maturity is to drink deeply of the cup of Christ.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Please feel free to forward this message to others; acknowledging our web site would be kindly appreciated. www.frangipane.org Read more!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Article by Ruth Compion on Lent
Lent is a season in the church calendar that a few of us kept last year. We all found it a very blessed and humbling experience especially as it culminated in the Easter Conference at the church where we celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus.
By tradition in the early church, Lent was a time spent by persons, wanting to be baptised, preparing for that baptism. The church encouraged the whole congregation to go through this season with the new converts as a way of showing support and encouragement.To many of us who come from a Catholic or Church of England background, Lent is a time of fasting of favourite foods and covering of the church pictures with purple. The traditional churches look upon Lent as a time of fasting, prayer, almsgiving and simplicity. Although there are no biblical references to Lent, in my research I could find no evidence that it was based on any pagan rituals. However some of the traditional days celebrated around Lent can be linked to such e.g. Mardi Gras Carnival and Shrove Tuesday.
The Internet is full of websites explaining Lent and if any of you are interested it is a good place to start.A few of us will be celebrating Lent again this year. It is wonderful to share this season within a group, as it is exciting to see what God has to say to each person and it is helpful to encourage each other when the times get rough, and they can, because Lent is for 40days and keeping to some sort of fast for that long is not always easy.
I would like to encourage you that if you are interested to take part in this season, that you form a small group or do it with your cell.
I am sure many of you remember the course we did at the end of 2008, "The Life you've always wanted" and how it spoke about building times or seasons into our lives of celebration, simplicity and solitude. It is in this vein that I bring to you Lent.
It is an opportunity to set aside time to pray abit more, to read the Bible abit more, and to seek God---it is like going on a vacation with the Lord for a time but with the joy of sharing with others as well.I think that the fasting bit terrifies some of us especially for such a long time, so here are a few suggestions:
• Fast one meal a day
• Fast meat
• Fast coffee/wine/coke/cigarettes
• Fast sugar/sweets/puddings
• Fast one day a week
• Fast entertainment
• Fast anger, unreasonable expectations of others, hopelessness, despair.
The idea with the fasting is:
• Money you would spend on that which you are not eating, you give to some charity
• That you do not fast only FROM something but also towards something. E.g. if you fast meat, you then seek the "meat of the Word".
• That you also fast from habits and character traits that you struggle with. E.g. if you fast from anger, try to choose one person who often presses your buttons and go out of your way to show special grace to that person.
• If you fast a meal, that you spend that time praying or reading.I would like to stress that the purpose of Lent is not to see if you can keep your fast but for you to move a step closer to the Lord and to enjoy experiencing this progress. Fasting is only a tool towards this purpose, so please do not get into any guilt trip if you slip up.Lent starts on Wednesday 25th February and ends on Saturday 11th April. Traditionally the Sundays that fall in Lent are mini-Easters and you are allowed to break your fast that day and celebrate.
Obviously the Easter celebration is an important part of this season and so there may possibly be a showing of the "Passion of the Christ" on the evening of Good Friday for those who would be interested.If you are interested to take part in Lent and cannot find a group to join, or would like to make suggestions, you are welcome to contact me or one of the leaders.
Many blessingsRuth Compion Read more!
By tradition in the early church, Lent was a time spent by persons, wanting to be baptised, preparing for that baptism. The church encouraged the whole congregation to go through this season with the new converts as a way of showing support and encouragement.To many of us who come from a Catholic or Church of England background, Lent is a time of fasting of favourite foods and covering of the church pictures with purple. The traditional churches look upon Lent as a time of fasting, prayer, almsgiving and simplicity. Although there are no biblical references to Lent, in my research I could find no evidence that it was based on any pagan rituals. However some of the traditional days celebrated around Lent can be linked to such e.g. Mardi Gras Carnival and Shrove Tuesday.
The Internet is full of websites explaining Lent and if any of you are interested it is a good place to start.A few of us will be celebrating Lent again this year. It is wonderful to share this season within a group, as it is exciting to see what God has to say to each person and it is helpful to encourage each other when the times get rough, and they can, because Lent is for 40days and keeping to some sort of fast for that long is not always easy.
I would like to encourage you that if you are interested to take part in this season, that you form a small group or do it with your cell.
I am sure many of you remember the course we did at the end of 2008, "The Life you've always wanted" and how it spoke about building times or seasons into our lives of celebration, simplicity and solitude. It is in this vein that I bring to you Lent.
It is an opportunity to set aside time to pray abit more, to read the Bible abit more, and to seek God---it is like going on a vacation with the Lord for a time but with the joy of sharing with others as well.I think that the fasting bit terrifies some of us especially for such a long time, so here are a few suggestions:
• Fast one meal a day
• Fast meat
• Fast coffee/wine/coke/cigarettes
• Fast sugar/sweets/puddings
• Fast one day a week
• Fast entertainment
• Fast anger, unreasonable expectations of others, hopelessness, despair.
The idea with the fasting is:
• Money you would spend on that which you are not eating, you give to some charity
• That you do not fast only FROM something but also towards something. E.g. if you fast meat, you then seek the "meat of the Word".
• That you also fast from habits and character traits that you struggle with. E.g. if you fast from anger, try to choose one person who often presses your buttons and go out of your way to show special grace to that person.
• If you fast a meal, that you spend that time praying or reading.I would like to stress that the purpose of Lent is not to see if you can keep your fast but for you to move a step closer to the Lord and to enjoy experiencing this progress. Fasting is only a tool towards this purpose, so please do not get into any guilt trip if you slip up.Lent starts on Wednesday 25th February and ends on Saturday 11th April. Traditionally the Sundays that fall in Lent are mini-Easters and you are allowed to break your fast that day and celebrate.
Obviously the Easter celebration is an important part of this season and so there may possibly be a showing of the "Passion of the Christ" on the evening of Good Friday for those who would be interested.If you are interested to take part in Lent and cannot find a group to join, or would like to make suggestions, you are welcome to contact me or one of the leaders.
Many blessingsRuth Compion Read more!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Contribution from Ruth Compion.
Two Things,Two Things Only by Francis Frangipane
There are so many things to occupy our minds: so many books, so many examples, so many good teachings that deserve our attention, that say, "here is a truth." But, as I have been serving the Lord these past years, He has led me to seek for two things and two things only: to know the heart of God in Christ and to know my own heart in Christ's light.
Knowing the Heart of GodI have been seeking God, searching to know Him and the depth of His love toward His people. I want to know Christ's heart and the compassions that motivate Him. The Scriptures are plain: Jesus loved people. Mark's gospel tells us that after He taught and healed the multitudes, they became hungry. In His compassion, Christ saw them as "sheep without a shepherd" (Mark 6:34). It was not enough for Him to heal and teach them; He personally cared for each of them. Their physical well-being, even concerning food, was important to Him.
A lad with five loaves and two fish provided enough for Jesus to work another miracle, but this miracle had to come through Christ's willing but bone-weary body. Consider: Christ brought His disciples out to rest; "For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat" (Mark 6:31).
Consider: Jesus personally had come to pray and be strengthened. For John the Baptist, Jesus' forerunner, had been beheaded earlier that very week at the hands of Herod. It was in the state of being emotionally and physically depleted that Jesus fed the multitudes---not just once or twice but over and over again "He kept giving [the bread and the fish] to the disciples to set before them" (Mark 6:41).
Thousands of men, women and children all "ate and were satisfied" (v. 42)! Oh, the heart of Jesus! The miracle was for them, but we read of no miracle sustaining Him except the marvelous wonder of a holy love that continually lifted His tired hands with more bread and more fish. Out of increasing weakness He repeatedly gave that others might be renewed.
So, if my quest is to know Him, I must recognize this about Him: Jesus loves people---all people, especially those society ignores. Therefore, I must know exactly how far He would travel for men, for that is the same distance He would journey again through me. Indeed, I must know His thoughts concerning illness, poverty and human suffering. As His servant, I am useless to Him unless I know these things. If I would actually do His will, I must truly know His heart. Therefore, in all my study and times of prayer I am seeking more than just knowledge; I am searching for the heart of God.
Knowing Our HeartsAt the same time, as I draw closer to the heart of God, the very fire of His presence begins a deep purging work within me. In the vastness of His riches, my poverty appears. The psalmist wrote, "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully" (Ps. 24:3-4).
We cannot even find the hill of the Lord, much less ascend it, if there is deceit in our heart. How does one serve in God's holy place if his soul is unclean? It is only the pure in heart who perceive God. To ascend toward God is to walk into a furnace of truth where falsehood is extracted from our souls. To abide in the holy place we must dwell in honesty, even when a lie might seem to save us. Each ascending step upon the hill of God is a thrusting of our souls into greater transparency, a more perfect view into the motives of our hearts.It is this upward call of God which we pursue. Yet, the soul within us is hidden, crouching in fears and darkness, living in a world of untruths and illusions. This is our inner man, the soul God seeks to save. Have you discovered your true self, the inner person whom truth alone can free? Yes, we seek holiness, but true holiness arises from here; it comes as the Spirit of Truth unveils the hidden places in our hearts. Indeed, it is truthfulness which leads to holiness.
God, grant us a zeal for truth that we may stand in Your holy place!
Men everywhere presume they know the "truth" but have neither holiness nor power in their lives. Truth must become more than historical doctrines; it must be more than a museum of religious artifacts---mementos from when God once moved. Truth is knowing God's heart as it was revealed in Christ, and it is knowing our own hearts in the light of God's grace.
As members of the human race, we are shrouded in ignorance. Barely do we know our world around us; even less do we know the nature of our own souls. Without realizing it, as we search for God's heart, we are also searching for our own. For it is only in finding Him that we discover ourselves, for we are "in Him."
Yet, throughout that searching process, as I position my heart before the Lord, it is with a sense of trembling that I pray the prayer of King David, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way"(Ps. 139:23-24).
Let us wash the cosmetics from our souls and look at the unadorned condition of our hearts. I know God has created us eternally complete and perfect in Christ. I believe that. But in the first three chapters of John's Revelation, Jesus did not tell the churches they were "perfect in His eyes." No! He revealed to them their true conditions; He told them their sins. Without compromise, He placed on them the demand to be overcomers, each in their own unique and difficult circumstances.
Like them, we must know our need. And like them, the souls we want saved dwell here, in a world system structured by lies, illusions and rampant corruption. Our old natures are like well-worn shoes into which we relax; we can be in the flesh instantly without even realizing it. The enemies that defeat us are hidden and latent within us! Thus, the Holy Spirit must expose our foes before we can conquer them!
Concerning man's nature, the prophet Jeremiah wrote, "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9). Quoting another of David's prayers, a similar cry is heard, "Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Thy servant from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me; then I shall be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression" (Ps. 19:12-13).
There may be errors inside of us that are actually ruling us without our awareness. Do we realize, for instance, how many of our actions are manipulated purely by vanity and the desire to be seen or accepted by others? Are we aware of the fears and apprehensions that unconsciously influence so many of our decisions? We may have serious flaws inside yet still be either too proud or too insecure to admit we need help.
Concerning ourselves, we think so highly of what we know so little!
Even outwardly, though we know our camera pose, do we know how we appear when we are laughing or crying, eating or sleeping, talking or angry? The fact is, most of us are ignorant of how we appear outwardly to others; much less do we know ourselves inwardly before God! Our fallen thinking processes automatically justify our actions and rationalize our thoughts. Without the Holy Spirit, we are nearly defenseless against our own innate tendencies toward self-deception.
Therefore, if we would be holy, we must first renounce falsehood. In the light of God' grace, having been justified by faith and washed in the sacrificial blood of Jesus, we need not pretend to be righteous. We need only to become truthful.
No condemnation awaits our honesty of heart---no punishment. We have only to repent and confess our sins to have them forgiven and cleansed; if we will love the truth, we shall be delivered from sin and self-deception. Indeed, we need to know two things and two things only: the heart of God in Christ and our own hearts in Christ's light.
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Two Things,Two Things Only by Francis Frangipane
There are so many things to occupy our minds: so many books, so many examples, so many good teachings that deserve our attention, that say, "here is a truth." But, as I have been serving the Lord these past years, He has led me to seek for two things and two things only: to know the heart of God in Christ and to know my own heart in Christ's light.
Knowing the Heart of GodI have been seeking God, searching to know Him and the depth of His love toward His people. I want to know Christ's heart and the compassions that motivate Him. The Scriptures are plain: Jesus loved people. Mark's gospel tells us that after He taught and healed the multitudes, they became hungry. In His compassion, Christ saw them as "sheep without a shepherd" (Mark 6:34). It was not enough for Him to heal and teach them; He personally cared for each of them. Their physical well-being, even concerning food, was important to Him.
A lad with five loaves and two fish provided enough for Jesus to work another miracle, but this miracle had to come through Christ's willing but bone-weary body. Consider: Christ brought His disciples out to rest; "For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat" (Mark 6:31).
Consider: Jesus personally had come to pray and be strengthened. For John the Baptist, Jesus' forerunner, had been beheaded earlier that very week at the hands of Herod. It was in the state of being emotionally and physically depleted that Jesus fed the multitudes---not just once or twice but over and over again "He kept giving [the bread and the fish] to the disciples to set before them" (Mark 6:41).
Thousands of men, women and children all "ate and were satisfied" (v. 42)! Oh, the heart of Jesus! The miracle was for them, but we read of no miracle sustaining Him except the marvelous wonder of a holy love that continually lifted His tired hands with more bread and more fish. Out of increasing weakness He repeatedly gave that others might be renewed.
So, if my quest is to know Him, I must recognize this about Him: Jesus loves people---all people, especially those society ignores. Therefore, I must know exactly how far He would travel for men, for that is the same distance He would journey again through me. Indeed, I must know His thoughts concerning illness, poverty and human suffering. As His servant, I am useless to Him unless I know these things. If I would actually do His will, I must truly know His heart. Therefore, in all my study and times of prayer I am seeking more than just knowledge; I am searching for the heart of God.
Knowing Our HeartsAt the same time, as I draw closer to the heart of God, the very fire of His presence begins a deep purging work within me. In the vastness of His riches, my poverty appears. The psalmist wrote, "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully" (Ps. 24:3-4).
We cannot even find the hill of the Lord, much less ascend it, if there is deceit in our heart. How does one serve in God's holy place if his soul is unclean? It is only the pure in heart who perceive God. To ascend toward God is to walk into a furnace of truth where falsehood is extracted from our souls. To abide in the holy place we must dwell in honesty, even when a lie might seem to save us. Each ascending step upon the hill of God is a thrusting of our souls into greater transparency, a more perfect view into the motives of our hearts.It is this upward call of God which we pursue. Yet, the soul within us is hidden, crouching in fears and darkness, living in a world of untruths and illusions. This is our inner man, the soul God seeks to save. Have you discovered your true self, the inner person whom truth alone can free? Yes, we seek holiness, but true holiness arises from here; it comes as the Spirit of Truth unveils the hidden places in our hearts. Indeed, it is truthfulness which leads to holiness.
God, grant us a zeal for truth that we may stand in Your holy place!
Men everywhere presume they know the "truth" but have neither holiness nor power in their lives. Truth must become more than historical doctrines; it must be more than a museum of religious artifacts---mementos from when God once moved. Truth is knowing God's heart as it was revealed in Christ, and it is knowing our own hearts in the light of God's grace.
As members of the human race, we are shrouded in ignorance. Barely do we know our world around us; even less do we know the nature of our own souls. Without realizing it, as we search for God's heart, we are also searching for our own. For it is only in finding Him that we discover ourselves, for we are "in Him."
Yet, throughout that searching process, as I position my heart before the Lord, it is with a sense of trembling that I pray the prayer of King David, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way"(Ps. 139:23-24).
Let us wash the cosmetics from our souls and look at the unadorned condition of our hearts. I know God has created us eternally complete and perfect in Christ. I believe that. But in the first three chapters of John's Revelation, Jesus did not tell the churches they were "perfect in His eyes." No! He revealed to them their true conditions; He told them their sins. Without compromise, He placed on them the demand to be overcomers, each in their own unique and difficult circumstances.
Like them, we must know our need. And like them, the souls we want saved dwell here, in a world system structured by lies, illusions and rampant corruption. Our old natures are like well-worn shoes into which we relax; we can be in the flesh instantly without even realizing it. The enemies that defeat us are hidden and latent within us! Thus, the Holy Spirit must expose our foes before we can conquer them!
Concerning man's nature, the prophet Jeremiah wrote, "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9). Quoting another of David's prayers, a similar cry is heard, "Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Thy servant from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me; then I shall be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression" (Ps. 19:12-13).
There may be errors inside of us that are actually ruling us without our awareness. Do we realize, for instance, how many of our actions are manipulated purely by vanity and the desire to be seen or accepted by others? Are we aware of the fears and apprehensions that unconsciously influence so many of our decisions? We may have serious flaws inside yet still be either too proud or too insecure to admit we need help.
Concerning ourselves, we think so highly of what we know so little!
Even outwardly, though we know our camera pose, do we know how we appear when we are laughing or crying, eating or sleeping, talking or angry? The fact is, most of us are ignorant of how we appear outwardly to others; much less do we know ourselves inwardly before God! Our fallen thinking processes automatically justify our actions and rationalize our thoughts. Without the Holy Spirit, we are nearly defenseless against our own innate tendencies toward self-deception.
Therefore, if we would be holy, we must first renounce falsehood. In the light of God' grace, having been justified by faith and washed in the sacrificial blood of Jesus, we need not pretend to be righteous. We need only to become truthful.
No condemnation awaits our honesty of heart---no punishment. We have only to repent and confess our sins to have them forgiven and cleansed; if we will love the truth, we shall be delivered from sin and self-deception. Indeed, we need to know two things and two things only: the heart of God in Christ and our own hearts in Christ's light.
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2008 Christmas Message
26 December 2008
Christmas Message
To 0ur dear congregational family
The day after Christmas is generally a time for reflection. There are those that love Christmas, the traditions, smells and tastes and family connectedness. The whole sense of Immanuel. “She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins”. Then there are the gifts. Starting with the wise men to the present day exchange and expressions of love and affection, with the little people moving in excitement from the unwrapping of one gift to the other. Somehow this group seem to embrace all these things together and fiercely guard “He is the reason for the season”.
For others this is a confusing time. Traditional symbols and their meaning become sources of debate and conflict. The struggle with historical accuracy, was it three or more wise men, why Dec 25th. Santa and Coca Cola, to strangely decorated trees. The questions abound with a challenging “does it really matter?”. Then there is the identification of baby Jesus, vulnerable and so human, with the Messiah, the Christ, hanging on a tree, our Saviour, and the resurrected Jesus Christ, interceding on our behalf in the presence of the Father, Jesus the King of Kings, Lord of Lords. The season itself is also filled with the awareness of limited resources, seemingly endless expenses and fear of unmet expectations. Old and familiar family problems and disappointments, too much food, too much everything. For others too little too often.
This Christmas we took home a six week old baby boy who is being cared for by Abba House. Generally the babies are taken out to give the staff a break for the day. Looking at him I realized how much God loves us. While I have always known this, just looking at his vulnerability brought a new awareness that Jesus understands our humanness.
We can take the risk of being real with Jesus and be vulnerable and insecure, questioning and lacking in confidence. He can identify. He knows how to let suffering flow into patience, endurance and hope, hope in the Holy Spirit.
So be blessed and know that he has a plan for you and that plan makes full allowance for you to be real. Don’t be afraid of suffering. Let it flow to the cross. Your areas of insecurity and lack of confidence are the places where you best get to meet Him. It is where the Spirit can be displayed as he moves us from fear to faith and hopelessness to encouragement.
Much Love Robert and Gail Read more!
Christmas Message
To 0ur dear congregational family
The day after Christmas is generally a time for reflection. There are those that love Christmas, the traditions, smells and tastes and family connectedness. The whole sense of Immanuel. “She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins”. Then there are the gifts. Starting with the wise men to the present day exchange and expressions of love and affection, with the little people moving in excitement from the unwrapping of one gift to the other. Somehow this group seem to embrace all these things together and fiercely guard “He is the reason for the season”.
For others this is a confusing time. Traditional symbols and their meaning become sources of debate and conflict. The struggle with historical accuracy, was it three or more wise men, why Dec 25th. Santa and Coca Cola, to strangely decorated trees. The questions abound with a challenging “does it really matter?”. Then there is the identification of baby Jesus, vulnerable and so human, with the Messiah, the Christ, hanging on a tree, our Saviour, and the resurrected Jesus Christ, interceding on our behalf in the presence of the Father, Jesus the King of Kings, Lord of Lords. The season itself is also filled with the awareness of limited resources, seemingly endless expenses and fear of unmet expectations. Old and familiar family problems and disappointments, too much food, too much everything. For others too little too often.
This Christmas we took home a six week old baby boy who is being cared for by Abba House. Generally the babies are taken out to give the staff a break for the day. Looking at him I realized how much God loves us. While I have always known this, just looking at his vulnerability brought a new awareness that Jesus understands our humanness.
We can take the risk of being real with Jesus and be vulnerable and insecure, questioning and lacking in confidence. He can identify. He knows how to let suffering flow into patience, endurance and hope, hope in the Holy Spirit.
So be blessed and know that he has a plan for you and that plan makes full allowance for you to be real. Don’t be afraid of suffering. Let it flow to the cross. Your areas of insecurity and lack of confidence are the places where you best get to meet Him. It is where the Spirit can be displayed as he moves us from fear to faith and hopelessness to encouragement.
Much Love Robert and Gail Read more!
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