A Message

11 th March 2018. Lent 4 Mothering Sunday Hymn               237 Welcome       Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. All                   and also with you.                          Praise God who loves us. All                   Praise God who cares Introductory   God made this commandment: Honour your father and   mother. Ex 20:12a       sentence          Blessed  be God All                        Blessed be Gods reign forever. Amen. Praise & Thanksgiving Leader:       ...

Exodus 20:1-17, Psalm 19, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, John 2:13-22 Our Lenten journey draws closer to the cross. Beginning with the call to rend your hearts and not your garments, to repent for the kingdom of God is at hand, we have progressed I believe, answering the call of Jesus to deny yourself take up the cross and follow him. To us who are progressing on such a journey, we are called to reflect today on the theme Grace of sanctification.   Grace is unearned and unmerited favour. A favor done without expecting a return.   God’s grace affects man’s sinfulness. forgives the repentant sinner and brings joy and thankfulness to him. It changes the individual to a new creature without destroying his individuality. This transforms man and cause him to love and seek after the righteousness of God.   Sanctification is the work of God where we are renewed in the whole man and enabled more and more to die unto sin daily, and live righteously. So a sanctified person is o...

Theme: Grace of Sanctification Gathering Hymn                     439 Introductory       Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her  sentence               by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a                                       radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and                                          blameless. Eph 5:25b–27b                         ...

Gen 17:1-7, 15-16; Ps 22:23-31; Rom 4:13-25; Mk 8:31-38 Our Lenten journey with Christ progresses with the continuous reminder to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil.   The purpose is for all who believe in God to follow Christ and become members of his Kingdom. To follow Christ one needs to flee from the devil and draw close to God. Today , we meditate on the theme Election and call to Christian discipleship. Election is the selection of a person for a specific office or position - to be a disciple. Call is an invitation for a specific vocation. The vocation is discipleship. To be precise, a Christian discipleship. Discipleship is a vocation for life. Discipleship is a position you hold in Christ. It is this position that every Christian should persevere, because this is a position of service and witness. Earthly positions are all about authority and dominion over other. Vocation and position carry a responsibility. It is valuable - t...

Based on Mark 8:31-37 As we journey with Jesus, closer to Jerusalem with his cross before us, let us bring our prayers before our God of love, power and faithfulness. The words of Jesus calls us to “take up your cross and follow me”.  We are not sure if it is the crosses of this life or the cross of sacrifice and suffering which leads us to the cross of death. Let us pray that through this call, God will help us chose the cross he wants each and every one to carry and give us strength to journey with him. We pray for those who are living with challenges in their day-to-day life – families, relationships, finances, integrity, justice. The words of Jesus calls us to “deny yourself”. We are not sure which self it is. The self we put on for others, the self-centered self that wants everything for ourselves. We pray for burden this challenge places on the believer. The challenges on the home front, challenges within the body of Christ, in their places of work and outsid...

Theme: Preparation for the Joys of Easter – The Temptations / Noah Gathering Leader                   We meet in the presence of God All                          who knows our needs, hears our cries, feels our pain, and heals our wounds Hymn                     67 Introductory           “The time has come”, he said. “The kingdom of God sentence   is near. Repent and                                   believe the good news”. Mark 1:15                    ...