Ebenezer (Even-Ezer).

The Lord has helped Us!

Israel at this time saw that God was with them and He was their really only help?

Today many Churches choose the name to symbolize what God is doing for us as believers and not as some believe the fellowship of the brothers alone!

We should all know that God is good and He is always looking out for us as we walk with Him, but when we take our eyes off, we head straight for the darkness of sin and possibly destruction if we refuse to repent and come back to the narrow way?

Israel did the same, after the time of the Judges, they wanted a King and God gave them a loser Saul son of Kish.

1 Samuel 7:11-12, 17:37, Psalm 98:1, 116:12, Romans 8:37, 2 Corinthians 1:10, 2 Thessalonians 3:1.

Christmas Approaches!

A really busy time for Ekklesia?

Each one of us has the challenge of pulling something new out of the story that by tradition seems to be fixed and at that it in its own right is a tremendous one, but there are many part to it that can be added depending on who one is preaching too?

When we look at this story we are seeing the fulfilment of Jewish history and we know that in that brief time of some thirty four years, his own people rejected Him, but since thirty three AD the way and the Ekklesia just keeps on growing and spreading out and now we live in an age that allows us to see it recovering older areas that have died lack to keep sharing Jesus?

Christmas is also a time when we see the dregs of society, the self-opinionated and the good people come to fellowship with us for plethora of reasons, sometimes guilt, other memory of childhood, others just like the atmosphere without the reality and others still in despair of life?

Numbers 24:17, Matthew 2:2, 9-10, 2 Peter 1:19.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit!

What are they for?

A great debate rages in the Ekklesia today in relation to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, with many claiming that that time in the book of acts is over?

But if we take time and end our doctrinal blind spots we will take note that in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 4 we are told the essential reason, before hitting the juicy bits!

Gifts, service and activity are the essentials of being touched at His will by the Holy Spirit, one who will remain active and effective in the lives of all believers who remain in fellowship with God.

We cannot preach, teach, witness, share, talk about God without the Holy Spirit, we have to be touched and given each individually our gifting, so that we may serve, so that we will remain active no matter what Satan tries to use to draw us down?

Romans 15:17, 2 Corinthians 9:12, Ephesians 4:12, 2 Timothy 4:5, Hebrews 12:28, James 2:22, Revelation 2:19.

Christian despair & Depression!

Not a bed of Roses?

The statement, ‘It is hard to be a believer, should not be under estimated, since many of us who are now long in the faith now the pain and costs that are involved as we progress in that race that the Apostle Paul encourages us with!

Ekklesia has much to answer to when it comes to depression, mental-illness and despair amongst believers? What was at one time referred to for missionaries is now widespread in the body, since many of us live in pluralistic societies that are hostile to Christians?

Nothing much has changed from the times of the pagan world of the early followers of the way to modern times, the world has turned back to the worship of nature and abandoned the God of the Holy Bible and many believers are starting to fall away, as we are told is to happen!

But we have a God who loves us and His son Jesus who died for us, we must run to Him and trust to endure and to press on? It is indeed very hard, but the price for us is too great to know give up or let go? Let us encourage one and another and help, pray, financials and a roof?

2 Corinthians 4:8-11, Psalm 56:2-3, Proverbs 8:10, 1 Peter 1:7, 4:12-14.