The Gospel of the Blank Voucher

Posted on November 20, 2016November 20, 2016 by nana

Mathew 7:7 This verse clearly states that we will be given what we ask for but sometimes we ask and we do not receive what we ask for, why is that? Often the problem is what we are asking for or the motive behind it. Matthew 5:3 When we pray we need to recognise our need of God, that we are poor in spirit. When we think of prayer we often think of a blank check, that we can have whatever we want Matthew 7:9-11 Often we ask for the wrong things, things that may not be good for us. The Pharisees were seen then as the most righteous kind of people Matthew 5:20 but here Jesus sets the standards way higher than seems attainable. This way it seems impossible to get into heaven. Interestingly Jesus teaches the people how to pray in the next chapter. This is the solution to the dilemma. When we pray we should not pray for our own selfish needs but in order to attain the standards of heaven. Many of us believe that Matthew 7:7 is a blank check when in fact it is a blank voucher. We can only ask and are sure to receive that which we ask according to God’s will.

Adapted sermon from Ps Baxter

God our constant Saviour and Friend

Posted on November 19, 2016November 18, 2016 by nana

Psalm 124.If it had not been for the Lord who was on our side, men would have rose up against us and they would have swallowed us alive, if it had not been for the Lord on our side. This was the testimony of Israel, it was their evidence that they had gathered of their own personal walk with God. This spiritual walk is not easy, it is thorny, rocky and it is a narrow path and there are only a few that find it ( Matthew 7:13-14). Our past might be used against us as stumbling blocks, our mistakes can be used as thorns and our flaws as rocks that cut us deep, but keep your eyes on the saviour (Acts 9:20-22) and increase in strength proving that this Jesus you have faith in is the Christ and in all this gathering your evidence of your own walk with God, having your own testimony. Lamentations 3:20-26, God is always faithful even when we are not and let us always remember that with we are never tempted beyond what we are able to take (1 Corinthians 10:13). And let us remember to bear each other’s burdens and do good at all times and be a bretheren’s keeper ( Galatians 6:9-10).

What do you expect?

Posted on November 18, 2016November 18, 2016 by nana

We live in a culture where we are used to receiving less than expected, we are used to being let down and often times we bring this expectation to the God of the Bible. Judges 6:13 People always talk about the great things God did in the past and all the miraculous things He will do in the future but somehow they do not expect Him to do those things today. God is safely tucked away in the past like Gideon’s God and for some He is tucked safely away in the future. John 4:25 In John 11:21-25 Mary expresses faith and doubt. She believed that Jesus would have been able to save Lazarus if He had arrived earlier, she also believed that He could raise him from the dead in the last days but that He couldn’t do anything about the situation at that present moment. So what are your expectations? The past is in the past and the future is inaccessible. God is able to work in us and through us today. He wants people who will live mightily for him today.

For The Lord

Posted on November 17, 2016November 16, 2016 by nana

1 Timothy 4:12- 16

Be an example of the believers, in word, conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith and in purity. Being an example need you to have a certain standard of living. We are given The Word as the standard;The Word is Christ, therefore when we call ourselves Christians let us bear in mind the standard we are representing.
Neglect not the gift God has given you of knowing the truth, “…become an educating power in every family ad in every school.” Be resourceful and not complacent in just consuming and receiving. Give yourself fully to the work of the Lord.

Ecclesiastes 12:1

Remember to use your usefulness in the things of the Lord, having so much energy, drive, ambition, curiosity and zeal. Channel all these things in service for the Lord.

Sphiwe Madonsela

Lord Teach Us How to Pray

Posted on November 16, 2016November 16, 2016 by nana

Luke 11:1-4 Lord, teach us to pray, is a good prayer, and a very needful one, for Jesus Christ only can teach us, by his word and Spirit, how to pray. Lord, teach me what it is to pray; Lord, stir up and quicken me to the duty; Lord, direct me what to pray for; teach me what I should say.

Jesus said, “Ye shall ask in My name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father Himself loveth you.” “I have chosen you: . . . that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you.” John 16:26, 27; 15:16. But to pray in the name of Jesus is something more than a mere mention of that name at the beginning and the ending of a prayer. It is to pray in the mind and spirit of Jesus, while we believe His promises, rely upon His grace, and work His works.

How should we then pray: Pray to God the Father in the power of God the Spirit, in the name or by the authority and the merit of God the Son. That is the trinitarian structure mainly of prayer in the Bible.

And so it is not surprising that it is profoundly rooted in Scripture. Hebrews 4:14-16 “Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are yet without sin. Therefore — crucial word — therefore, let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace. We only can come to God in prayer pleading for grace, because we have a high priest, which is why we pray in Jesus’ name.

We have no access to God without Christ and his name. And so when we pray in Jesus’ name we are saying that to the Father; I am coming not in my own name, not in my own merit, not in my own worth. I am coming because Christ loved me. Christ died for me. Christ rose for me. Christ intercedes for me. That is what that little phrase carries. And it is just huge.

And Paul draws in the third member of the trinity, right, in Ephesians 6:18. Praying at all times in the Spirit. Or Jude 1:20. You, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith praying in the Holy Spirit, which I think means realize that your heart would never have an inclination to pray to God for true blessing apart from the humbling, transforming, faith giving work of the Holy Spirit. So confess this. Say this to the Lord and to yourself. I rely upon the Holy Spirit when I pray in Jesus’ name to the Father. And, of course, Jesus put it totally plainly in John 15:16. Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give it to you.

Conditions to expect that God will hear our prayers

There are certain conditions upon which we may expect that God will hear and answer our prayers. One of the first of these is that we feel our need of help from Him. He has promised, “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.” Isaiah 44:3. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, who long after God, may be sure that they

will be filled. The heart must be open to the Spirit’s influence, or God’s blessing cannot be received.

Another element of prevailing prayer is faith. “He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6. Jesus said to His disciples, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24. Do we take Him at His word?

Perseverance in prayer has been made a condition of receiving. We must pray always if we would grow in faith and experience. We are to be “instant in prayer,” to “continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” Romans 12:12; Colossians 4:2. Peter exhorts believers to be “sober, and watch unto prayer.” 1 Peter 4:7. Paul directs, “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Philippians 4:6. “But ye, beloved,” says Jude, “praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God.” Jude 20, 21.

Unceasing prayer is the unbroken union of the soul with God, so that life from God flows into our life; and from our life, purity and holiness flow back to God.

There is necessity for diligence in prayer; let nothing hinder you. Make every effort to keep open the communion between Jesus and your own soul. Seek every opportunity to go where prayer is wont to be made. Those who are really seeking for communion with God will be seen in the prayer meeting, faithful to do their duty and earnest and anxious to reap all the benefits they can gain. They will improve every opportunity of placing themselves where they can receive the rays of light from heaven.

May we meditate upon these words beloved as we pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to begin our great work next year.

Thabsile Majola