Have house groups?

Killed the western Christian Churches!

Many believers have come to the conclusion that the onset of cell groups have ruined many congregations in the western Ekklesia, because they are an excuse for cliques’ and family related groups to control lost freedoms?

Many of these groups seem helpful in their outlook, but what they do is they kill the midweek prayer meeting and getting together for that oasis of fellowship.

In many other lands distances are an issue to travel and small groups probably work better, but we really should be able to combine the two and find that even the abandonment of the evening service is also something to be brought back to help the many who are struggling at work, home and other?

Matthew 25:1, Acts 1:14, 1 Corinthians 11:20, Ephesians 5:19.

The Ukraine?

No Peace!

As believers how do we deal with a world leader who refuses peace and is also provoking conflicts with other nation who are seeing through him and his mantra of lies to get a shopping list of weapons, that even his armed forces are failing to deploy in a proper manner, but rather waste on the battlefield?

Zelensky has rebuked many people who have suggested peace, this is nothing new David was rebuked by the peoples he lived with in hiding and it was a struggle for him!

Jesus tells us He did not come into our world to make peace, but with a Sword to cause division and to see who really loves Him more than our own loved ones?

Psalm 35:20, 120:7, Matthew 10:34-39.

We are abused, but we press On!

Mission and Leadership.

One cannot say, ‘Today that many in the western Ekklesia go through this set of circumstances in the palatial panelled homes and insurance policies, holding anti-Semitic views and much other worldly rubbish?

We wonder why we no longer have revivals and if we do, they are not what they once were! Even one hundred years ago many famous preachers pointed out the lounging of missionaries on the field on the continent of Africa and many other far flung places?

Here we are challenged by these Apostles going out to share Jesus in hostile societies and unbelieving Jews, with very little of comfort, except they had faith and the strength to trust God and in the process we have the book of acts, telling to us the growth from the Way, ‘Hedos to Ekklesia and two thousand years of continued growth.

1 Corinthians 4:11-13, 2 Corinthians 11:23, (Matthew 8:20), Lamentations 3:45.

Blessing God!

Many believers only see it the other way?

But in the New Testament we find two passages in the Gospels in relation to two men blessing God, one in relation to John the Baptizer and the other in the Temple at Jesus’ circumcision. Luke 1:64 and 2:28 respectively.

Zechariah could speak and Simeon had lived long enough to see this day of both the last and greatest prophet John and the Messiah.

Many people today are living a long time again and some believers will live long enough to see our Lord returning on the clouds of glory, but even more so since we live the this time of Spirit and truth John 4:23-24, we should bless the Lord everyday both in prayer and in worship!

Easter. Two.

The Resurrection!

Jesus in not dead like the heads of other religions past and present, He is alive with His Father in Heaven awaiting that great day of His return, when those who refused to believe in Him will see Him and hide!

The rising if Jesus from the grave is the essential factor for our salvation plan, since we rise with Him in believers baptism to the promised eternal life!

Jesus always hinted to His disciples the way that he was going to die and be raised on the third day!

Jesus spent forty days on earth appearing to over five hundred people, apart from His disciples and then in the Ascension he return t heaven?

In the resurrection we are freed from the curse of the law and we are free from the sting of death!

Mark 8:31, 9:30-31, Acts 2:31-33, Romans 6:5-11.

Easter. One.

Purchased from the curse of the Law!

Sometimes the message of Easter can be too focused on the Cross and all other events, but not on some of the essential doctrines of the full meaning of the work that Jesus undertook for us by his sacrifice and the importance of that?

The Old Testament is full of being redeemed, since this was both a business transaction and that of keeping a family together, the Hebrew sense of the word Ga’al Strongs H1350 is that of buying back, while in the New Testament the Greek Agorazo Strongs G59 is purchase.

But the work of Jesus on the stake/cross/tree was also to set us free from the curse of the law and for more so the Gentiles to receive the Holy Spirit, that would break the animosity with the Jews, sadly this remains an allusive condition that is yet to be resolved?

Galatians 3:13-14, 4:5-6, Deuteronomy 21:33, Luke 23:39.

Humanity Gathered!

End of the Heavens?

This is another interesting area for discussion in relation to what it might mean in that people with faith before the flood and the days of Noah are being gathered for the Lord Day.

This may answer the question as to why God confused humanity at Babel in relation to the tower that they were constructing into the heaven, something that they once had to cross space possibly to other human habitation in the Universe and God was not going to allow those in the heavens to be spoiled anymore by the violent sin of Tubal-Cain?

This does not mean that humans in other places are without sin, we do understand from the Holy scriptures that the universe as we know it is in decay, it has fallen too with that of the sin of Eve!

Mark 13:27b, (24-27), Genesis 11:1-4, Deuteronomy 1:28, 4:32, 30:4, Job 8:8, (Matthew 24:26-31, Luke 21{25-28).

illness!

Happy 2023?

One is so sorry not being able to write for the past five weeks due to illness and missing Christmas and much more!

As believers we will be attacked by the enemy from time to time, it is expected and we have to just bear it trusting our Lord that He is with us as we go through it?

The Holy Bible is full of sickness, suffering and who God has interacted with us to warn, to heal as we see that most of the ministry of Jesus was the healing of many who were sick, but it did not stop when he ascended, the Apostles also faced these problems themselves and with others it was and remains something of a challenge?

Psalm 41:3, John 11:4.

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.

‘Fate?

S-Korea 154, India 141, and Somalis 120 lives lost this weekend!

It is a tough call when loved ones are lost to fate, going out to a festival, being silly or just going about everyday life and death comes suddenly as we have seen in these three nations mentioned?

Some Christians will say they should not have been their for Halloween, others why were people jumping on that bridge and others, well terrorism can’t be helped!

Jesus told the crowds that the people under a falling tower were not worse than them and people would die in disasters human and natural!

We may know much in relation to the end times, but we could be as mistaken as Israel was when Messiah came and they had missed the scriptures in relation to Him?

We cannot change fate, since these things are hidden from us, but we can be wise in hearing God and not doing certain things, by not allowing ourselves to get into a crowded space or avoiding certain buildings in countries were terrorism is likely if we can?

Ecclesiastes 9:1-6, Luke 13:1-5, Ephesians 5:15.