( by pastor Jean)

In Acts 4:13 we learn that when the men of the Jewish High Court saw the boldness of Peter and John and that they were uneducated, ordinary men they recognized that, “they had been with Jesus.” Not only did they note their boldness but Peter and John had just performed a miracle in Jesus’ name (healing the lame man at the gate of the temple). What else was it that showed that they had been with Jesus? Acts 5:12 tells us that, “At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders (attesting miracles) were continually taking place among the people” (AMP). Not only that but, “believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers – multitudes of both men and women” (Acts 5:14; CSB). Also, the sick were laid out in the streets and just Peter’s shadow brought healing (Acts 5:15)) and “they were all healed” (Acts 5:16). Then in Acts 6 we read about Stephen who was also doing signs and wonders (V and it was noticed that his face “was like the face of an angel” (v 15). Spending time with Jesus will definitely change us – change the way we look, think, speak and act. As 2 Cor 3:18 says, we can “reflect the glory of the Lord” and the Holy Spirit “makes us more like Him and we are changed into His glorious image” (NLT). This does not just happen overnight of course, it means spending quality time with Jesus day after day after day. The more time you spend with someone, the more they rub off on you.

(by pastor Norman)

Jesus, “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phil 2:8b; NKJV). In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matt 26:39; NKJV). Now, that is complete surrender of a life to God. Should our relationship with God be any different? In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 we see that we are temples of the Holy Spirit, purchased for God by the price Jesus paid at the cross; therefore, our lives should bring glory to God. We should live a productive life for God’s kingdom, a life that God would be pleased with and proud of (Col 1:10). In fact, Jesus exhorted us to make our Christian Walk the priority for our lives ahead of all personal desires and ambitions (Matt 10:29, 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 17:33). The apostle Paul encourages us to model our lives after the life we see in Jesus (Rom 8:29) and Jesus Himself told us that as His disciples we need an absolute and selfless commitment to Him (Luke 14:33). “Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behaviour from their parents” (Eph 5:1; MSG). Complete surrender to God, will involve sacrifice in terms of some relationships and material things and bring persecution but such surrender also results in God’s superabundant blessings in this life and the promise of eternal life (Mark 10:29-30). Did I hear a wow?

(by Pastor Jean)

The above scripture is found in Phil 2:14 (NIV). I’m sure we are all guilty of grumbling or arguing to some degree or another, and we also know that no none likes someone who is always complaining about things. We are to guard against it because God hates grumbling. When the Israelites were in the wilderness, they did a lot of complaining and God called it rebellion (Ex 16:2-7). When Moses sent spies to spy out the land of Canaan 10 came back with a bad report which again caused the Israelites to complain (Num 14:26-29). Paul refers to this in 1 Cor 10:10 when he tells the Corinthians not to complain “as some of them also complained and were destroyed by the destroyer.” Grumbling and complaining shows a negative attitude and lack of trust in God. I like how the Amplified Bible translates Phil 2:14, “Do everything without murmuring or questioning (the providence of God).” So how can we counteract the temptation to complain and argue? Every day we are faced with choices when things don’t go the way we want, we can choose to be sad (complain) or we can choose to be glad, despite the challenges (Phil 4:4, Ps 118:24). We need to cultivate a grateful spirit, focusing more on the good things in our lives than the bad; we must pray about the negative circumstances we are facing and use our faith to believe that God will turn things around as He promised in Rom 8:28.

(By Pastor Jean)

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen” (Heb 11:1; NLT). Hope and faith are closely tied together. Biblical hope is the expectation that God will do what He promises to do compared to worldly hope which is just wishful thinking. God spoke through the prophet Hosea saying that He would, “transform the valley of trouble into a gateway of hope” (Hos 2:15; NLT). Have you ever been in a “valley of trouble”? It is important to have hope in your heart in those times, a confident expectation that God will come through “Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him” (Ps 42:11; AMP). Heb 6:19 tells us that this kind of hope is an anchor for the soul, in other words it keeps us secure despite what is going on around us. The verse goes on to say that it keeps us anchored, “within the veil” meaning in God’s presence and there is no safer place to be. How can we be sure of this? Because Heb 6:18 reveals that it is, “impossible for God to lie.” It is interesting that 1 Cor 13:7 tells us that “love hopes all things (remaining steadfast during difficult times)” (AMP). In Rom 4:18 we read about Abraham who is a good example of Bible hope, “Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping – believing that he would become the father of many nations” (NLT). People in the world tell us not to get our hopes up but the Bible says the exact opposite! So, if you are believing God for something put your hope and trust in God and be expectant!