Acts 2:38-39
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call”
Everyday starts with a decision 💭 As you wake up, resist from thy inclinations and yield not into the devil’s temptations… Repentance is a daily act, where we die to self and give of ourselves to Him holistically so we may receive the gift of The Holy Spirit to counsel and to guide us.

Thabani Mtsi

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

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).

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.

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