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...
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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,...
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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...
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