Prospecthill Christian Fellowship is part of the national Apostolic Church in the UK.
Situated in the heart of our community we are ideally placed to make a positive impact and have events and activities for all ages. A lot of time and effort have gone into developing our children’s and youth work, we also have a women’s group which runs once a month and Bridges Café which is on every Sunday after the main meeting
read more here
About us
Jun 28
Wise Men Still Seek Him
Jan 1
At this time we look back and remember the revelation of our Lord and Saviour coming to the Earth as part of Gods plan for us.
Christmas for some has just become a commercial festival, which, once it has run it’s course and the January sales have finished is all over for another year.
In the Church however it has become a time of celebration looking back to the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. But why do we just look back? Jesus came to the Earth the first time over 2000 years ago but the Bible tells us that He is coming to this Earth a second time…
The Second Coming is predicted in each of the four Gospels, in the book of Acts and in the epistles of Paul, James, Peter and John. Jesus’ return is the focal point of the entire book of Revelation. If you believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, then you must believe in the Second Coming of Christ.
There are some 300 scriptures which talk about the first coming of Jesus and that came to pass as the bible said, but there are some 600 which talk about the return of Jesus…the second coming of Jesus. Here is a comparison of Jesus first coming and his second coming
1. First coming – Lamb
John 1:29 – The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Second coming – Lion
Revelation 5:5 – … Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.
2. First coming – Save sinners
1Timothy 1:15 – This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
Second coming – Judge sinners
Acts 17:31 - because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.
3. First coming – Flesh
1 John 4:2 - By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God
Second coming – Spirit
Rev 19:11 - Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
4. First coming – Humility
Philippians 2:5 - Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Second coming – Glory
1 Thessalonians 4:16 - For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
5. First coming – Godhood veiled
Philippians 2:7 - but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.8 And being found in appearance as a man
Second coming – Godhood Revealed
Philippians 2:9 - Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
6. First coming – Produce his children
John 1:12 - But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Second coming – Gather his children
1 Corinthians 15:52 - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Matthew 24:31 - And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
7. First coming – Offer of forgiveness
Ephesians 1:7 - In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.
Second coming – Too late for forgiveness
2Corinthians 6:2 - I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, today is the day of salvation.
8. First coming – Came to the natural world
Luke 2:7 - And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Second coming – Will come from spiritual realm
1 Thessalonians 4:16 - For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
9. First coming – A few witnesses at birth –Mary, Joseph in a stable
Luke 2:6 - So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son….
Second coming – All will see
Revelation 1:7 - Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
10. First coming – Born on earth
Luke 2:15 - So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
Second coming – Appear in sky
Matthew 24:30 - Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
11. First coming – To bring mercy
John 12:47 - And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
Second coming – To dispense judgement
Matthew 16:27 - For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Make no mistake about it, Jesus’ return will not happen secretly off in some cave with no-one knowing about it. Jesus Christ will literally come back to the city of Jerusalem, to the top of the Mount of Olives, to begin governing the entire Earth. We need to look forward to the revelation of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and his second coming. Rejoice that Gods plan is for the completion of our destiny to be revealed as the sons of God. Don’t be misled into thinking that everything will always go on as before, there will be an end when Jesus returns and we who are his children shall finally be with him and like him.
Romans 8:18 - For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Colossians 3:4 - When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
1 Corinthians 15:52 - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Do you know what the most important news story of our generation will be? What is the biggest event that will shake the entire earth? The Second Coming of Christ will be the most important event of this generation. Mark 13:30 - Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Matthew 16:28 - Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Christ is coming back! Wise men came a long way to look for Jesus the first time and as the saying goes, wise men still seek him. Do you?
Revelation 22:20 …Even so, come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
That “in between” week
Dec 29
So, what do you do with this awkward week between Christmas and New Year?
- Maybe eat lots of Christmas chocolate?
- Think how to lose the weight you just put on by eating lots of Christmas chocolate?
- Think about making a New Years resolution?
How about spending more time reading the Bible this year? Explore reading plans on YouVersion.com
“Following a reading plan is a great way to make the Bible part of your daily life. YouVersion has hundreds of different plans, with options for customization and support to help you stay on track. See what God reveals to you when you spend time in Scripture each day.”
Our Relationship With God
Nov 20
Prayer is about coming to God, the disciples saw something different about Jesus and how he prayed and wanted to better understand what it was about.
Luke 11
1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.2 So He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.3 Give us day by day our daily bread.4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.
5 And He said to them, Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him; 7 and he will answer from within and say, Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.9 So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
The prayer of Jesus for followers was that they might KNOW God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. Jesus taught his disciples to speak to God in the most intimate and loving relationhsip they could understand – as their Father. I want today to look at this most fundemental truth of scripture – that of relationship with God.
Luke 11:2 “So He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
The fatherhood of God was alluded to in in Psalm 103 and other places in Old Testament, but generally God was seen as a taskmaster and unapproachable, but Jesus said the first and most vital aspect of prayer is relationship. When you pray say “Father”
I want to look at THREE things that are highlighted in these verses about establishing, exercising and enjoying your relationship with the Father
Our relationship with God has been ESTABLISHED through the work of the cross.
1Peter 3:18 “For Christ also once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, indeed being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit;”
Jesus died to make amends for our sins, by doing this He opened the door for the relationship to be established, For He who was then our Judge is now our Father. He died for the sins of the whole world, for the sins of the ungodly, for you and I. Every sin I ever do or will do is paid in full and so this releases us from being servants to becoming sons.
So why then will some people still go to hell? Simply put, they are fearful and unbelieving. They cannot put their trust in God. Perhaps some people had a bad experience of ”father” and are still carrying the scars, but what we don’t see is that only when we take that step of faith, and trust Jesus to bring us to relationship, His Spirit comes and lives in us and transform us from sons of Adam into to Sons of God. You are no longer a son of Adam trying to become a Son of God. We were sons of Adam and by nature (birth) objects of wrath (Eph 2:3) “…but NOW through the cross of Jesus Christ he was given us power to become sons of GOD” In Luke 15 the father embraced the son and did NOT say “this son of mine who bad is better”. NO – he said this son of mine who was DEAD is now ALIVE. THIS is what it means to come into relationship with God, it’s life that comes from death. God wants us to be his sons and daughters. He wants to save us , bless us and care for us. A Christian isn’t just an old forgiven sinner, he or she is a new creation that looks like God.
Our relationship with God should be EXERCISED in our daily lives.
Luke 11:2 “…Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread.”
The benefits of a relationship are to be exercised in our day to day lives but why bother if we are sons of God? If your child sat in their room all day playing computers and watching DVDs only surfacing when food was out (and then took it back to their rooms with them) you would feel there’s something wrong with your relationship with them, there may a be a legal connection there but it’s not active. Sadly today many children have “relationship” but no respect. If we have truly understood what it cost God to bring us to relationship we would respect Him and start getting our act in order. If we love someone we would want to spend time with them.
When I “fell in love” with my wife when I was young, I looked forward to when we had arranged to meet … thought about her most of the day and the more time we spent togther the stronger our relationship grew. The deeper we got to know each other, the stronger the bond became until we eventually married and have grown closer since.
Relationship must be exercised and prayer is the link we need to build, establish and excercise. It’s the connection that makes our relationship with God grow stronger.
Our relationship with God is to be ENJOYED forever.
Luke 11:3 “Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”
This relationship is to be enjoyed. InThe Westminster Shorter Catechism confession of faith, the first question asks What is the chief end of man?…Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
When you read Genesis you find a man called Abraham who fully understood about his relationship with God.
Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, From your family And from your fathers house, To a land that I will show you.2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
God called him to leave behind all that he knew and trusted in and to leave to a land he “would show him” and he took God at his word and went not knowing where it would lead but trusted God to be true. He was called “Gods friend” rather than Gods servant (James 2:23). Because of the covenant that God made with him in Genesis 15:7 it was irrevocable. Abraham had no fear about “having enough” – in fact he was superabundant – everyone could see there was a power at work in his life that could only be expained through God being with Him. He discovered that the promise of God, when he obeyed and followed, was true.
When we are grafted into Christ, the True Vine (John 15:1-11) we are IN Him and the life of God is IN us. This means as long as the Vine lives we will live, when we come to God by putting our trust in Jesus Christ the savoiur we become sons of God and have eternal life as a by-product. Our job as Christians is to examine the connection (2Cor 13:5), fruit production is Christ the vines job. Blessings and enjoyment should now overtake the believer, I am a believer in blessed lives.
IF God is my FATHER then I “shall not be in want” Psalm 23:1.
Davids Mighty Men
Nov 15
What made Davids mighty men stand out from the rest of his army and how can we become like them?
1Chronicles 12 ”1 Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war,2 armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Sauls brethren.3 The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite;4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite;5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite;6 Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;7 and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.8 Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:9 Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,13 Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh.14 These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a thousand.15 These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.16 Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold.17 And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.18 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: We are yours, O David; We are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, And peace to your helpers! For your God helps you. So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.”
Men of passion - Davids men were passionate about following him
We as men need to recapture the passion and love and sense of excitement in what it is to be saved, to be passionate about our calling in Him. We need men who are passionate about following Jesus just as He is passionate about us and we need men who also who can express that in their family settings.
The leader of the mighty men was not slow to express his passion to follow David.
“17 … my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.18 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: We are yours, O David; We are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, And peace to your helpers! For your God helps you..
Joshua 14
“10 And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.11 As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.12 Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.”
We need men who,like Amasai and Caleb, are passionate about following Gods plan for their lives.
Men of practice - Davids men were disciplined
We need men to live out their allegiance to the King in their day to day practice. For many people Christianity is a theory. Like soldiers who have learned how to shoot a gun…but have never been to war. These men were men who had proven themselves in the heat of battle. They lived their calling. They were genuine hard cases. They had disciplined themselves to train daily. They had to train day after day because they knew the day was surely coming when their discipline and training would be rewarded or else their lack of discipline would be sadly exposed. They were like the men of Zebulun.
“From Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all the weapons of war, fifty thousand who could keep rank. They were not of a double heart.” (1Chronicles 12:33)
We need to see mighty men who are LIVING and PRACTICING their faith.
Men of power - Davids mighty men heard God.
The Bible says the Spirit of God “came upon Amasai chief of the captains”. It was by the Spirit they knew who was before them, they knew that David was Gods anointed and they were are going to follow him. It is the spirit that tells us how to know Jesus but if we never take the time to develop a cultured ear to hear how will we ever know the voice and power of the Spirit.
1Samuel 9:15 ”Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying,16 Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.”
Samuel expected Saul because the Spirit had spoken “in his ear” the previous day. Even when Samuel was a boy serving in the temple only he heard the voice that Eli couldn’t hear (1Sam 3). After Saul was anointed as king, a large number of people rejected the idea until the Spirit came on him and saved the nation from the Ammonites.
We need mighty men in the church who have developed an ear to hear God.
Men of principal - Davids men held their ground.
2Sam 23:8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time.9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated.10 He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder.11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines.12 But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
Shammah was a man of principal, he found himself stationed in a field of lentils – This was his post and when everyone else fled when attacked by the Philistines, he wasn’t distracted from his calling by what others did.
If everyone else’s behaviour is slack so is it ok for mine to be?
Mighty men don’t waver in the face of difficulty but stay at their post.
Men of position
Because all of these qualities were found in David’s men they became men of position
1 Chronicles 12:18 “…So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.”
When the King puts you into a ministry its because he knows you and knows that you can be trusted to hold the position, you have PROVEN yourself faithful in little things (Luke 16:10) and he knows like the men of Zebulun that you can hold rank for you have not a DOUBLE heart (1Chr 12:33)
Men of POSITION are positioned by the King for He knows they take their position seriously.
The Blessing of God
Nov 6
2Samuel 6:11 The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.12 Now it was told King David, saying, The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness.
The subject of blessing is controversial. It’s very convenient for people with carnal motives. We see flakes on TV getting testimonies of cheques turning up for thousands and all the hoo-ha surrounding it after all we all want mysterious cheques coming through our letterboxes!This morning a well known American millionaire preacher was preaching about abundance referring to Eden and it seems every sermon he preaches is about money.
BUT we look at our own accounts bleeding red and think we are spiritual and decide this all must be nonsense. And we spiritualize blessing as a feeling or perhaps inner peace (which is part of it) and settle for that.
WHERE should we stand on this subject of Gods blessing on men?
Read the rest of this entry »
Greenock Elim are delighted to be hosting an evening of Ministry with Pastor Neil and Noline Rhodes. Neil Rhodes is a renowned minister of God’s word having served in Times Square Church in New York for 12 years as the Senior Associate Pastor.
Read the rest of this entry »
The presence of the old testament Temple was vital to right standing before God because it was a visible demonstration of the grace of God, the government of God and the glory of God
The grace of God
In the Temple day of atonement the two identical goats were seen as part of the same sacrifice. One animal to make atonement to God and the other to carry away the sins of the nation. Christ’s once for all sacrifice did just that by making a “guilt offering” and a “sin offering” taking away our sins and making an atonement towards the offended holiness of God carrying his own blood into the presence of God as our great high priest. (Isaiah 53:10,11)
The temple format ensured that because all was done according to His word they had confidence before God as a people, but how much greater confidence can we have when we realize that Gods Son has “once for all ” paid the price of sin
Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
As long as Jesus lives – that sacrifice remains before God
One mocker shouted to the man preaching on the street asking if Jesus could change his water into wine BUT the evangelist man replied that Jesus did better than that for him by changing wine into furniture.
As the Temples of the Holy Spirit, Serious Christians know the reality of the grace of God, and there is no greater testimony than what God has done in the life of a believer. People need to know the grace of God and the only way they will see it is in the temples of the holy spirit who follow Him steadfastly in life
We need to have an experience of the grace of God in the temple of our own lives, the presence of that eternal “Once for all” sacrifice in whom we are complete before God.
Serious Christianity starts with choosing the right foundation
Matthew 7:21-29
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ 24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” 28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Jesus speaks here about the wise man who firstly hears his words then does the word and equates this to finding the bedrock and then building on the bedrock. If we are to build something meaningful in Gods sight it MUST start by hearing his words
I remember when I was young watching flats being built, starting off with the huge pile drivers that drove piles into the ground until finally they could go no deeper for they had hit a sure foundation of bedrock. The builders were serious about what they were doing for they knew that if they didn’t do the foundation work correctly then sooner or later people would suffer and the blame would lie with them.
Laying foundations to make a magnificent temple (life) that glorifies God always starts like that, by digging down and preparing the ground. Foundational work is what every christian fails in, and we see it manifest by a collapse at the first battle because the most important part of any construction project and every building project starts at the foundation level. The foundation of the truth of Gods word is where every human temple building project must begin. Man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Deut 8:3, Matt 4:4, Luke 4:4) Knowing his word is knowing Him who is The Word. It’s the most vital foundational fact that if we are to have life we must know God and Jesus Christ whom he sent (John 17:3) Our foundation must be the truth of Gods word. Read the rest of this entry »
No longer under the law
Sep 18
Sundays sermon in short…
Why do Christians cherry pick certain parts of the Bible and ignore other parts of Gods law?
- Leviticus 18:22 Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.
- Leviticus 19:26 Do not practice divination or magic.
- Leviticus 19:28 Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves
- Deuteronomy 22:5 A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing.
But how often do we obey these laws?
Read the rest of this entry »
This series of sermons is based on my conviction that the Holy Spirits cry for authenticity in the church and that we would take SERIOUSLY our individual responsibility to reach a dying world.
Building the Temple
Scriptural references 1Chr 22:1-19, 1Cor 3:16, 1Cor 6:19, 2Cor 6:16.
David was deadly serious about making the Temple special (1Chr 22:5) “…the house to be built for the LORD is to be highly magnificent, for a name and for beauty to all the lands.
God expects nothing less from us today as His Temples where the Spirit lives
To build David needed…
- Passion – David’s whole life was an adventure with God – His one abiding passion was the Lord who had saved him from the Lion, the Bear, the Giant, and the hand of Saul promising and fulfilling His word to make David King. He was passionate to offer something of substance back to God and make sure that what he built would be the best he could offer and so put millions (in today’s terms) of his own money to prepare for the Temple of the Lord
- Pattern - 1Chr 28:12 showed that the pattern that David built to was directly from the Holy Spirit. We as Christians must hear for ourselves what we are to build in our lives, how we are to behave, what our ministry is and so on.
- Peace - 1Chr 22:9 shows that David could only prepare to build when there was peace. Christians must be at peace with God before they build anything and this peace comes when we surrender to Gods ways and stop resisting His will. Every epistle of Paul opens with the words PEACE reminding us that God is no longer at war with man and has made peace at the cross.
- Preparation - 1Chr 22:14 ”I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them.” David was prepared to pay what it took even though he was in a depression at that time. Serious Christians serve from where they are and desire to see Gods glory whatever state they are in personally.
David knew the value of money and true Christianity knows the value of a soul is infinite
Related posts
Part 2 - The right foundation
Part 3 - The temple of God
