April 7, 2013 - Sunday Sermon Review (Transformation)

Sunday Sermon Review April 7, 2013 ( from my home church I attend regularly )

The service began with singing several songs which included "This is My Father's World".

Our topic today was - Transformation.
The speaker was Dale from WBC

Text - Philippians 2: 5-11Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here is some of what Dale said:

What does faith look like?

There are different theological viewpoints, different faith perspectives, conservative and liberal, yet all claim to serve the same God and believe the Bible.

Our God is greater than we can humanly comprehend. The Holy Spirit is given to all who believe. God does not change.

When we believe in Jesus as Savior we become Christians. From that point on we begin a journey of transformation.

Transformation includes the following:

1) Experience - that is our story, our background, childhood, things that have happened in our lives, each person has a story, his/her own personal story.

2) Interpretation - Our experience influences our interpretation of life and of the Scriptures.

3) Beliefs - through our experiences, and our interpretation, we develop our beliefs.

4) Choices - Our beliefs determine the choices we make in life. We live what we believe.

Everyone has a different story, How do we all follow God?

We need to become more Christlike.

We have the Holy Spirit with us to guide and direct us.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Jesus is the answer - the truth lines us with Jesus. ( We find the true Word of God in the Bible. ) 

We must remove our own wrong thoughts and replace it with God's truth.

Romans 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Truths about God:

*God is good.

*God is trustworthy - God is our "Abba".

*God is generous.

*God is love.

*God is holy.

*God is self-sacrificing.

*God transforms us.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

*Christ dwells within us.

Romans 11:22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off

How do we grow Spiritually? ( Become like Mary )

Are you a Martha - hard working and hurrying

or Are you a Mary - sitting still to listen to hear God speak through His Word.

Luke 10: 38-41  Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

Next Sunday Pastor Ben will continue on in our Matthew Series.

I Praise You, O God for You...

Revelation 4:8 Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

I praise You, O God, for You are Almighty and great in power and wisdom and Your love for me is true.
The Lord, my God has saved me and will keep me safe till the end!
The Lord has shown His love for me by dying for me, cleansing me and by speaking into my heart.
His works declare that He is the One and Only God.
I will praise the Lord, because to me, He is strong and faithful and worthy of all my praise!
He is Holy and His love and mercy never ends to those who choose Him!

Psalm 103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Peace and Comfort in Trying Times...

Isaiah 48: 17-18 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.  O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
 God has made each of the four season, each one comes with its own distinct gifts and beauty. Fall has arrived now and again we see how  God has made everything beautiful in its time. I took this photo of our small river that runs by our property. It reminds me to be still and reflect on the Lord and his care for us ( His children) in these dark times.

 This past week has brought much turmoil in the world. We see there is no peace in the Arab countries where the Muslims are violently protesting and we ask the question - Where is this all leading to? At just such a time as this we need to be still and remember our Father God Almighty is in control of all things and we need not fear. Psalm 46: 9-11 brings the comfort that we need for today - He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

God is in control, He is the one who will draw the line in the sand ( figuratively speaking) and will only allow the wicked to go so far with their evil schemes. He will raise His arm and put an end to all evil and God will be exalted in all the earth!

The Hebrew Names of God

As Christians we know and believe that there is only one true God. His Name is above all names. Salvation is found only in the LORD our God. When we study our English Bibles we do not see the Names of God as they do in Hebrew so it is interesting to get a handle on some of the Names of God that are used in Hebrew in order to better understand and  remember the character of God.The name Jehovah which we are more familiar with is found in  Exodus 6:3 where it says - And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them.  My pastor at church will often use the Name Yahweh when he blesses the congregation at the end of the service. You will find that where the Hebrew text has Yahweh, some translations use the Name Jehovah.

 At the bottom here I posted the lyrics to a beautiful song called  HE IS JEHOVAH. It is sung by Kathleen Harris but I am do not know who penned the lyrics. May you be blessed as you draw closer to the LORD through this study.

A Study of some of the Names of God
1) JIREH - the LORD our Provider
Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. ( KJV )
Genesis 22:14  Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.” ( NASB )

2) TSIDKENU -  the LORD our Righteousness
Jeremiah 23: 5-6 says Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.

3) ROHI - the LORD our Shepherd
Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want

4) M'KADDESH - the LORD our Sanctification
Leviticus 20:8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the Lord which sanctify you.

5) NISSI -  the LORD our Banner
Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: ( KJV )
Exodus 17:15 Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner ( NASB ) 

6) SHAMMAH - the LORD is there
Ezekiel 48:35  It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.

7) SHALOM - the LORD our Peace
Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. ( KJV )
Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and named it The Lord is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.( NASB )

8) ROPHE - the LORD our Healer
Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

The Song:
  He is Jehovah
He is Jehovah, God of creation
He is Jehovah, Lord God Almighty
The balm of Gilead, the Rock of ages
He is Jehovah, the God that healeth thee

Sing hallelujah, sing hallelujah
Sing hallelujah, sing hallelujah
He is Jehovah, Lord God Almighty
He is Jehovah, the God that healeth thee

He is the great I AM, the God of Abraham
Jehovah Shalom, the God of peace I am
The God of Israel, the everlasting One
He is Jehovah, the God that healeth thee

He's your provider, Jehovah Jireh
God of salvation, God of Messiah
The Son He sent to you, He testified of Him
He is Jehovah, the God that healeth thee

Getting to know my Father....

Psalm 101:6  Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
I have titled this post "Getting to know my Father" which of course refers to my Heavenly Father. I have written some posts here on my blog about my earthly father and I would encourage you to read them in the archives.
Our Heavenly Father is the perfect Father. Some of us have had earthly fathers who reflect some of the character traits of our Heavenly Father while others who read this may never have known a father who loves. Our Heavenly Father loves and cares for you and all that is true of His love for me in my life is available to you also.
The love of our Heavenly Father is a love that allows circumstances into our lives that are going to build our character and give us the opportunity to become more like Jesus. This kind of love is not always pleasant and includes the love of discipline.
God is my Father. He is my Father because I have become His child through salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. As my Father, He is my Protector. His watchful eye is upon me to guard me against the evil intentions of those who would hurt me. His watching eyes see what is happening to me.
Proverbs 5: 21  For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.
My Father loves me and will not give me unheathly or useless things when I beg for them - simply because Father knows best. He has a goal in mind for me and since I do want that which He has planned for me, I choose to line up my desires and wishes with that which He decides is best for me.
I trust my Father. He wants only what is best for me. When He says "Don't do that" - it is for my own good and to keep me from getting hurt.
He disciplines me. I want that discipline because even though I may not like it, I do want to be in right relationship with my Father so I want to learn to live to please Him. He disciplines those who mistreat me - just because I am His child. When and if I am mistreated by other people, my Father sees it, He knows what is happening at all times because He has His eye on me.
He comforts me. My cares are His cares. When something bothers or troubles me, I can tell my Father. He is always available to me, listening to me when I talk with Him and responds to my questions.
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  
He provides for me. He is my Father. I can depend on Him to supply every need in my life. He sees my needs and provides for me.
My Father is always with me. He has promised to never ever leave me so I am never alone and not afraid.
Hebrews 13 - for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
It's not about me - It's about bringing glory to His Name.  I am available to my Father - I want to be useful to Him - work in His kingdom and bring glory to Him. I hope and pray that through my life, my Father will further His plans for others in this world.
In His Will, For His Glory, To be used by Him is my prayer. Nothing happens by chance. The Lord God Almightly is my Heavenly Father.

You ask - How can I have this Heavenly Father in my own life? There is only just one way and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus died on the cross to save us and to bring us into relationship with God the Father. While we are living in sin, we cannot be in relationship with the Heavenly Father simply because He is Holy and cannot tolerate sin in His presence. But He provided the way for us  when He sent His only begotten Son - the Lord Jesus Christ to earth. Jesus came as a baby born in Bethlehem, showed us how to live and then died on the cross for our redemption. He  died on the cross. was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day. He ascended into Heaven to the right Hand of the Father but the Holy Spirit is available to us to live within us.  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved today.
John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Why Go to Church on Sunday??

Sunday Sermon Review, August 26, 2012
A sermon review from my home church that I attend regulary
Psalm 149:1 Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
This was the final service in the series on "Worship"
The service began with singing of several songs, which included "Lead Me to the Cross", "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus", and "In Christ Alone".
This was followed by a children's story where the children were asked the question - "Why do you always go to church?" Some of the answers were -  to worship the Lord, to sing with other people, and to learn new things from the preacher's message.
Hebrews 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Pastor Ben came up to preach and he continued with the same question - Here is some of what he said.
Why Come to Church on Sunday?
 Do we need to worship with others? and if so Why?
Worship is - our response to God for who He is and what He has done for us
While worhipping God alone is a very important part of the Christian life, worshipping together with others is a different experience. Pastor Ben compared worshipping corporately  to being at a sports event or concert and how the atmosphere in such a place is an experience much different than  watching a sports event on TV or listening to the same music on your ipod.
Worship changes our lives.
Jeremiah 2:5 Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?
What we worship is what we become, It shapes the core of our being
Worshipping together as a congregation allows us to worship together as united in Christ
- someone who has cancer and knows the time is short here
- we can kneel before the Holy God together
- we can take part in communion
Worship is not just about "me and Jesus"
Our world is individualistic
Our world view shapes our thinking
Deuteronomy 16:11 says  And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there.
Jews and Gentiles must worship God together - not separate
In the book of Revelation, we see community in worship before God
Our relationship with God and others is tied together
Worship is about pledging allegiance to God publicly - make God first in our life,
We pledge allegiance to God as King
Pastor Ben drew similarities to the ceremony of becoming a Canadian citizen - it is done publicly and it is a time of rejoicing.
So also worship is public
Pastor Ben quoted the words from the song Lead Me to the Cross as a recommitment to Christ and a pledging of allegiance to the Lord.
The closing song was "I am Free"
Here are the words to the song Lead me to the Cross:

Lead Me to the Cross 
(by Hillsong United)

Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemptions hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
The word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you're risen

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart

Where did we all come from??

How did the planet Earth get here and how did you get to this planet? Was there a big bang or how was the earth formed? Where did we all come from? Scientists are searching for answers to these types of questions. The answer of course is in the Bible. We only need to read our Bibles as all these questions are directly answered for us. The reason people want evolution and the big bang to be true is because they do not want to be accountable to God for the way they are living their lives. If they refuse to believe in God, they somehow assume that they then will not give account. That is a lie of the devil. God is true, the Bible is the true Word of God and whether you choose to believe it or not does not change the fact that it is true. It remains the truth whether you and I choose to reject it or believe it. Our choice to believe or reject the truth of the Bible determines our destiny.
Genesis 1: 1-2 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Day 1 - God forms day and night.  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Day 2 - God creates the heaven we call sky.  And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.  And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
Day 3 -God made the seas and the earth, grass and fruit trees.  And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.  And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.  And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.
Day 4  - God created the sun and the moon. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.  And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.  And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,  And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Day 5 - God creates the birds and the sea creatures, whales.  And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.  And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying,  Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Day 6 - God creates human beings ( Adam and Eve) and the animals in the world. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Day 7 -  God rested from all His work. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Miracles of God in our Lives!!

Psalm 106:8  Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.
Many times as I have read my Bible, I have been wowed by the fact that God does things in order to make His great Name known. It is His will that we become familiar with how great and awesome He is, that He does mightly things for the glory of His Name. It pleases the Lord that we exalt Him in our daily life. He is active and present in our life everyday and we would see Him act if we would only want to live that close in relationship with Him.
Ezekiel 36:22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
So the first reason that God actively works among us is to make His Great Name known but there is another reason that I would also like to mention. The second reason is that He acts on our behalf. He sees us in our situation and the need that we are in and He comes to our aid. We find ourselves in a situation and we see no relief or way to get out of our mess. And at just such a time, when we are at the end of ourselves, we find that the Lord has been waiting for us to get to the point that we will cry out to Him.
Psalm 76: 7-9 says  - You, Yourself, are to be feared;
And who may stand in Your presence
When once You are angry?
⁸ You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
The earth feared and was still,
⁹ When God arose to judgment,
To deliver all the oppressed of the earth.

There are many stories in the Bible where God does great things that are humanly impossible. We can think of how the young boy David killed the giant Goliath. We think of Gideon and how he got victory with just 300 men in a battle against those much mightier or how God rained down bread (called manna) for the travelling Israelites. We can think of the stories of Samson or Esther - great Bible stories that show how God does what seems humanly impossible. Of course in the New Testament there are also the stories where Jesus changed water into wine, He healed people who were sick - the lepers, the crippled, those who could not speak and those who were possessed by demons, and others were raised from the dead. In many of these Bible stories I have mentioned, God was exalted and glorified and people were helped. These two concepts are found together quite frequently.
It would be encouraging to hear more testimonies today of how God met a need , a seemingly impossible situation turned by the direct touch of the Lord's hand. I invite you to share your stories in the comment section here. It would be glorifying to the Lord to tell of His great help and kindness to us.
A Couple of Stories from me: There would be many stories that I could tell but I will share two.
When my twin boys were about six months old ( they are 20 now so its been a few years), my younger twin developed croup. I can't tell you a lot about croup, but it is very frightening as the child struggles immensely, is very frightened and is almost unable to breathe as he gasps for air. My son was hospitalized and put into a contained crib tent where cool humid air was constantly being filtered into it. This was supposed to relieve the croup so that my son would be able to breathe until the virus passed. Days went by and there was no improvement to his condition. The doctors were at their wits end, not knowing anymore what to do to help my son. We invited our Pastor Al to come to the hospital to pray over our son. My husband stayed in the hospital that night by our son's side and as I drove back home to care for our other twin son, I just broke down and cried out to the Lord for His intervention. I still know exactly where I was on the highway when this happened. I went home and the very next day, the doctors decided to remove the humidity tent and see what would happen as nothing they had done so far had helped. As soon as the tent was removed from my son's crib, he began to breathe with ease - and he was ready to come home again after a very short time. I know for a fact that somehow, God healed my son when that humidity tent was removed. The Lord inspired the doctors to make that bold choice the very morning after our Pastor prayed and I had my moments of surrender on the highway. Praise the Lord for that healing!
The second story I will share happened just very recently. My husband and I have a very small farm here growing canola and wheat. It has been incredibley dry here all summer. We had frost, hail and a dust storm hit our crop as well as a real lack of rain.  The canola crop looked poor all summer and produced only half as much as we would expect on a normal year. No surprise there -But to our surprise when we combined the wheat, it was not a poor crop at all. The wheat produced what is a known as bumper crop - above the average of a good year. My husband was seriously shocked by the amount of grain he hauled off that field. It is a miracle from the Lord that in the midst of the drought, the hail, the frost etc, the crop was greater than what we see on a good crop year. Praise God for all that wheat but more importantly Praise God that He can make wheat grow without what we consider necessary for growth. He did it with His own Mighty Hand!!
That is just a taste of how I have seen the Lord work - there is so much more to share. As I said earlier, please feel free to share a story of how the Lord has worked in your life. God Bless.

Chick-Fil-A and Marriage...

August 1, 2012 - May God Bless those who stand up for true Biblical principles!
God Ordained Marriage - one man and one woman married for life.
Matthew 19:4-6 says And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,  And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

In the USA, people are showing their belief in true marriage ( one man and one woman till death do part) by eating at a restaurant called Chick-Fil-A. The owners of this restaurant chain have come under attack for their stand in support of true marriage. I am not aware of any Chick-Fil-A restaurants here in Canada but if I could I would also show my support and stand with them today.
So I am going to imagine that I am at a Chick-Fil-A today and here is what I would order:
1 chargrilled chicken sandwich please, waffle potato fries and a large coffee. Thanks. It looks very tasty. Have a great day Chick-Fil-A!

Sunday Sermon Review - Worship Part 1

Sunday Sermon Review July 15, 2012 - Worship in Our Everday

Today our church began a summer series on Worship. The series will continue throughout the summer months.

The service always begins with singing. Among other newer songs, an old favorite was also sung. That is the song "I'll Fly Away".
The worship leader continued the thoughts of the lines of the song "I'll Fly Away" and he reminded us that we will all leave this earth either by death or fly to meet Jesus in the air when He returns to earth. He reminded us to be clearminded, self-controlled, to pray and study our Bibles as we wait for the Lord.
It was so good to hear the worship leader exhort the congregation like this and to then to pray earnestly for the Lord's protection and guidance and giving thanks to the Lord for his goodness to us. The worship leader continued as he reminded us that we gather in church to worship and not to be entertained by the various aspects of the service. So often people are so focused on the earthly and material things of life, I thought this exhortation from the worship leader was like a breath of fresh air.
The Service continued with the reading of Psalm 63: 1-8 which is posted at the bottom of the post.

Our Intern Pastor brought the message entitled "Worshiping God Everday".
Here is some of what he said.

Worship means to show honor and to respect, to glorify.
To Glorify is to make something glorious, to praise, and to admire.
Everyone worships something - Either God or something in this world
Misguided worship includes worshipping money, sex, another person or one self

What is True Worship?
God desires our worship all to Himself, Him alone
Worship is our response ( personal, and corporate) to God for who He is and for what He has done. Our response is worship in action.
Worship is not entertainment or a spectator sport.

Exodus 20:3 -  Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Psalm 81:9 -  There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
Matthew 4:10 - Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
God created all things, all of us, the entire universe
He is awesome in power and majesty

Isaiah 55: 8-9 says For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God loves us and desires a relationship with us. He sent His only begotten Son in flesh and blood to live among us, and to die on the cross to save us to eternal salvation.

God is Holy
We are wicked without Christ.
He is the only One worthy of our worship
Romans 11:36 - For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen
We Worship God with a Pure Heart

Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Worship affects our everyday life, in our choices, our relationships and in our actions.
We cannot separate our spiritual life from our everyday life

Challenge to Congregation:
View your life as worship to God, Lift up your entire life to God everyday as a response to Him.
Repent of the things in your life that do not please the Lord.

Psalm 63: 1-8
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
² To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
³ Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
⁴ Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
⁵ My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
⁶ When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
⁷ Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
⁸ My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

Last Night God Looked and Remembered.....

Sometimes when life is rough, we need assurance from the Lord that He is mindful of us and sees our situation. Last night God again respoke His assurance to us of the promise that he made just after the flood in Noah's Day. We see all sorts of disasters around us. There are floods in Russia and in the UK, as well as in India and parts of Canada.  There is excessive heat in Canada and the USA and crops are deteriorating.  There are wild fires and storms, sickness and death. Yet in the midst of this chaos, God reminds us that he has not forgotten us, He has not forgotten His promises.

Yesterday evening God put the rainbow in the eastern sky by my house and I was reminded that He is the One and only true God. God remembers the covenant that He made some 6000 years ago and HE is willing to put a sign in the sky by my house to remind me that He remembers. He is so faithful. Don't you just love Him?? Just as He is keeping this old old promise, don't you think He will also remember the promise that He will visibly come to earth again? He most certainly does remember all His promises to us!

I took a picture of the promise ; it was in the eastern sky by my house.

Genesis 9: 13-16

¹³ I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

¹⁴ And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

¹⁵ And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

¹⁶ And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

I encourage you to --- Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

A Rose as a reminder of God's Love!!

The red rose has always been a used as a sign or description of love. I think it is fitting to remember how much our heavenly Father loves us when we see a beautiful red rose.  John 3:16 says  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The rose bush in my garden is blooming now so I took these pictures to remind me of God's love for me.   

      

May I suggest that you also be reminded of God's great love for you when you see a beautiful rose, where ever that happens to be - maybe while you are out shopping or perhaps visiting a park etc.

In Psalm 91:14-15, the Lord tells us how he returns good to us when we set our love upon Him.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

God's Rainbow Promise and Satan's Gay Deception

Don't you just love seeing a beautiful rainbow in the sky after a rain. I most certainly do. I can sense God's presence in the loud crashing thunder as well as in the calm rainbow that follows the storm. As we read the Bible, we will find that at the end of the story of Noah and the great flood, God makes a promise that He will never again destroy the entire world with a great flood. As a sign of that promise, God creates the rainbow. Now any time, after a rain we look into the sky and see a rainbow, we know that God is remembering His promise that he made thousands of years ago. God will always remember His promise and shows it to us by placing the beautiful rainbow in the sky. Genesis 9: 12-17 records the promise God made to us and reads as follows :
¹² And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
¹³ I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
¹⁴ And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
¹⁵ And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
¹⁶ And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
¹⁷ And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
                                                      

We can be 100% sure that God will keep this promise to us. He is that kind of God - faithful and true to His Word throughout the ages. We can depend on Him.

picture from blogthehumanist .org

It seems though that Satan will so often come and try to take what God has created as precious and true and make it into a counterfeit deal and now again we see satan using the rainbow in a counterfeit way. God destroyed the world in Noah's day due to the wickedness and violence that had swept across the earth. God could find only Noah and his family who were living righteously. In our day today the gay pride movement is moving across the nations. And what does satan use to promote this wicked movement ?? - what else but the rainbow flag. Satan takes the rainbow and uses it for his evil purposes. Satan knows that he has but a short time left here on earth to continue deceiving people and sees the signs of the end of time nearing. I wonder if satan is trying to provoke God Almighty by using the rainbow colors in this evil display called gay pride.  As Christians we know that God will keep moving ahead with His end time plan schedule.God is right on time - never late!  We know that Jesus will return for those of us who love Him and we will be taken up to heaven to be with our Lord forever.  But  we also know that satan and his demons and followers will be cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. and Revelation 20 14-15 : And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

 Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Our God is Greater and Higher than any other!

I don't know if you have ever had the chance to meet someone famous. I have not. The only thing remotely close would be several years ago when Franklin Graham and his team were in Winnipeg for a crusade. We took our family to the crusade two nights to hear Mr Graham  preach. I remember I felt sort of in awe to actually see him in person from a distance. To be in the same building as the famous preacher was kind of an exciting feeling. I felt small and insignificant. But Franklin Graham is human, just as I am and really God's love is the same for the both of us. All of us humans are sinners, and in need of the Saviour Jesus Christ. So when I think of the who really is great - it is only God alone who deserves our worship.  Psalm 99:5 says Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy. We are able to understand  the point that we should worship God, after all He is God .....but then to think that He actually also wants to be in relationship with us. That is simply amazing!! To think that God Almighty, the I AM God, God from everlasting to everlasting, the God who made the whole world and keeps it in place  welcomes us to come to Him.   We feel like such insignificant human beings and yet He loves us so. God treats us with so much love and grace every day.  He wants us to come boldly to Him in prayer with our burdens and requests and lay our lives down before Him. Hebrews 4:16 ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.  We do not need to try to pretend anything before God, we can come just as we are and He is pleased that we have come and He is more than willing to communicate with us, be our best friend and meet all of our longings. Jeremiah 29:13 says  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
He saves all who come to Him in repentance believing in Jesus as the only Saviour. And He is preparing a home for us to live with Him throughout all eternity! It can't get any better than that!! John 14 verses 1-3 talk about the mansion He is preparing for us:

 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

² In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

We see that there is no person that can ever compare to God Almightly, the LORD of all!

Isaiah 6 1-8 gives a good description of God on the throne, and how the heavenly beings worship Him. He alone is worthy of our worship!!

6 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

² Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
³ And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
⁴ And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
⁵ Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
⁶ Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
⁷ And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
⁸ Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

God first....

A scribe came to Jesus and asked Him a question--  "Which is the first commandment of all?"   So Jesus gives him the answer:
Mark 12:29-32 ...
 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he

Love God wth all our heart, soul, mind and strength - put God first in everything and second - love others

Easter - God keeps His Promises!

One super great character of God is that he knows the end of things before the beginning even happens. He knows what we will need and His promises stand for all time. In the very  beginning when God created all things, he created Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden of Eden to live. In the first couple of chapters in the book of  Genesis the story unfolds of the creation and how God tells Adam and Eve they can eat of any trees in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:17 -But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. But in chapter 3 of Genesis, satan disguised as a snake ( notice that satan always disguises himself and lies but pretends to represent truth) he comes to Eve and tempts her to eat of the fruit of that tree and she does and also gives to Adam and he eats. That is the first sin and ever since then the relationship that God had intended for us to have with Him has been broken. God is holy. Sin cannot dwell in His presence  so sin has to be dealt with. God knew this would happen to Adam and Eve and He had a plan in place ( even from before the beginning of time) to restore them and us  to Himself again. So in Genesis 3:14 &15 God has a word for satan and He promises us the Savior. -And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:           ¹⁵And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.  Throughout the Old Testament God remembers His promise to send a Savior who will die for us and provide a way of salvation for us. One such passage is found in Isaiah 7:14 " Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."       and that of course was fulfilled when Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. God also fortold of Jesus's death and ressurection and He has kept all his promises there too. In Psalm 22 is  a good description of the crucifixion of Jesus. For example Psalm 22:1 and also verse 18. ¹My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring ...¹⁸They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. In the gospels we find the complete story of the death and ressurection of Jesus our Savior.
The fulfillment of the promises and prophecy of God is sure. It's not a matter of maybe God will do what He has said - we can depend on Him to keep his Word 100%.  We are waiting now for God to fulfill His promise that Jesus will return to earth again in His second coming. We do not know when He is coming but we do know for sure that He is coming back.  Revelation 22: 12 and 13 says And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.  ¹³I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
So this Easter I want to remember Jesus that He came as a baby born of the virgin Mary, He is the promised Messiah that God sent to die on the cross for us to redeem us back to Himself. Jesus  rose from the dead on the third day and ascended to Heaven.  Now we wait for His return for us His children and so we shall forever be with the LORD!
Happy Easter to all!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Baptism

Baptism was an important step for me as a Christian. It is something that I wanted to do even though it was  somewhat nerve racking on many levels. It meant going public with my decision to become a Christian and live for Christ for the rest of my days. In the church that I attended with my parents and family, there were some steps that were followed in the process of preparing for the day of baptism. So the first thing I had to do was to ask my Dad to be my first witness and that he give my name to the clergy as a candidate. I also needed to get a second person to stand as a witness for me in my decision and so I asked  Mr Wieler to do that for me.  My church required that we study the Catechism to get a general picture of living as a person of faith. The church I attended with my family was very small so I decided to proceed with the process of preparing for baptism in a church of the same denomination as ours but was about an hour's drive away from our home church, where there were some thirty other persons also preparing to be baptized. So for several Sundays prior to Baptism Sunday we would go forward together as a group during the morning worship service and the preacher lead us through a study of the Catechism. The Catechism is a book of questions and answers based on the Bible. Finally the day of baptism arrived and it was June 1, 1980.
There were a few questions that were asked, basically allowing us to proclaim faith in Jesus as individuals there. One question that was asked that I remember in a significant way was from the story of Lazarus getting raised from the dead, based on John 11: 19 -28 ... ¹⁹And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
 ²⁰Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
 ²¹Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
 ²²But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
 ²³Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
 ²⁴Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
 ²⁵Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
 ²⁶And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
 ²⁷She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
  The Bishop quoted Jesus'  question to Martha from verses 25 and 26  where it says .. ²⁵Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
 ²⁶And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?  .......and he specifically asked the question -" Do you also believe this?  and to  which I was able to answer -Yes.  And so I was baptized on the confession of my faith ( that Jesus died for me and is my Savior ) with Bishop John A Friesen pouring water on me in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. 

Galatians 2:20  - I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.