TEXT: ‘For who has despised the day of small things?’ (Zechariah 4:10) THOUGHT: My New Year message to both churches and Christians is this: You can make a difference whatever your size or age! A young Jewish girl captured by the Syrian army became the catalyst for Naaman’s healing from leprosy.1 Also a young lad gave up his lunch that Jesus used to miraculously feed the 5000.2 The prophecy concerning Messiah’s birthplace states, ‘O little town of Bethlehem, you are not just an unimportant Judean village, for a Governor shall rise from you to rule my people Israel’ (Matthew 2:6 TLB). Now the whole world knows where Bethlehem is because of the Christmas story. When Philip told Nathaniel he had found the Messiah, the response was, ‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”’ (John 1:46 TLB), such was its unwelcome reputation, but it was the home and workplace of Jesus before He started His ministry. You and your church can make a difference for good whatever the reputation of the community you are in. Take these following truths to heart and see 2022 become a significant year both personally and as a church. 1. Paul commended the Thessalonian Christians for influencing their surrounding regions with the gospel – ‘And now...
Learn More
TEXT: ‘Now let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel really is, for it has not changed—it is the same Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is squarely built upon this wonderful message’ (1 Corinthians 15:1 TLB) THOUGHT: The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians to correct a number of beliefs and practises that were weakening the church. One of these errors concerned the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Part 1, we studied “That Word” (v2) and “That Christ died” (v3). In Part 2, we studied “That He was buried” (v4) and “That He rose again” v4). Now we will consider the final “That” we can have absolute certainty about. 5. That He was seen – ‘This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses’ (Acts 2:32) Frequently after a crime or accident has happened, the police appeal for witnesses to come forward and state what they had seen or heard. Paul lists those who became eye-witnesses, having seen Jesus after He was raised from the dead. The majority of those eye-witnesses saw Him die and would have needed absolute proof that He was now alive. This is why the Bible says,...
Learn More
TEXT: ‘Now let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel really is, for it has not changed—it is the same Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is squarely built upon this wonderful message’ (1 Corinthians 15:1 TLB) THOUGHT: The Apostle Paul had to write to the Corinthian Christians and correct a number of beliefs and practises that were circulating the church. One of these errors concerned the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and this is the gist of 1 Corinthians Chapter 15. Paul used the word “That” a number of times in this chapter to emphasise the certainty of the resurrection, for faith in a risen Saviour is the bedrock of Christianity and something a person has to believe in order to be saved In Part 1, we studied “That Word” (v2) which stressed the importance of the scriptures being the unchangeable Word of God. Then “That Christ died” (v3), confirming that Jesus is the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the world and fulfilled those Old Testament prophecies. Now we will consider two more “Thats” we can have absolute certainty about. 3. That Christ Was Buried – ‘And that He was buried’ v4...
Learn More
TEXT: ‘Now let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel really is, for it has not changed—it is the same Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is squarely built upon this wonderful message’ (1 Corinthians 15:1 TLB) THOUGHT: When the feelings of joy seem to have evaporated since becoming a Christian, what do you have left to hold on to? You have the fact of God’s Word! Bible-believing Christians are not wishy-washy, but steadfast and unmoveable. In his letters to the Corinthian church, Paul wrote to correct a number of beliefs and practises that were theologically incorrect. One of these errors concerned the resurrection of Jesus Christ and this is the gist of 1 Corinthians chapter 15. In the first few verses of this chapter Paul used the word “That” as something they could have absolute certainty about and we can too. The word “That” is emphatic and leaves no room for misunderstanding or misappropriation of the truth it is describing. What Paul was so emphatic about concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the theme of Today’s Teaching. 1. That Word – ‘By which you are saved if you hold fast that word which I...
Learn More
TEXT: ‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’ (Malachi 3:10 NLT) THOUGHT: Of the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses, the eighth says, ‘You shall not steal’ (Exodus 20:15). In the last book of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi asks, ‘Will a man rob God?’ (Malachi 3:8). The way that the Children of Israel robbed God was by withholding their tithes or the tenth of their income. The outcome of their actions was two-fold. Individually and as a nation they ended up living under a curse instead of a blessing. Also the priests and Levites were not financially supported and left the ministry to support themselves from farming instead. Malachi challenged God’s people to bring all the tithes into God’s house and see the difference it would make. In Part 1, we studied three aspects about honouring God with our finances. In this final part we will consider three more. 4. Faith Honouring God with our tithes is a...
Learn More
Recent Comments