Biblical Corporate Worship - part 3 - latest from Jews for Jesus

24 October 2011

Shalom dear readers,

This is the 3^rd and final part of Biblical Corporate Worship and in this teaching, we will be looking at the Holy Place and The Holy of Holies.

THE HOLY PLACE

WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH

John 4:23 – 24 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  24 God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

Kevin Connor in his book The Tabernacle of David states:

“Worship in spirit and truth” involves the believer honoring and adoring God by the quickening of the Holy Spirit and according to the Word of God.  The Spirit and the Word are both needed in proper worship..  Both must be there.  If the Spirit is not there, then worship is dead and lifeless. 

It is according to the letter which kills.  All becomes empty form.  If the Word is not there, then the worship can become mere sentimentalism, emotionalism and can lead to fanaticism.”

In his Commentary Adam Clark states:

“A man worships God in Spirit, when, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, he brings all his affections, appetites, and desires to the throne of God; and he worships him in truth, when every purpose and passion of his heart, and when every act of his religious worship, is guided and regulated by the Word of God.

The true heart of worship is the heart that bows before God and submits to His Word.  We worship in response as the Holy Spirit reveals the truths of God to us.

When we approach God, the attitude of our hearts must be one of complete submission.  We have nothing to offer God except our total devotion and obedience.”

THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD

(JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE AND JESUS THE WORD

This points to Jesus the Bread of Life (John 6:25 – 63)

John 6:35 …I am the bread of life: he who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

 Part of our worship is partaking in communion.

(I Corinthians 10:15 – 21; 11:23 – 26).

I Corinthians 11:23 – 26…The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,  24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  25 the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

The Table of Shewbread also points to Jesus as the Word which is our daily bread. As has been stated we worship in Spirit and Truth (Word of God).

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Matthew 4:4 …It is written, Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK

(JESUS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD)

John 8:12 …I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

The Golden Candlestick also represents the Holy Spirit who leads and guides us and points us to Jesus.

John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Here in the Table of Shewbread and the Golden Candlestick we see an early reference to worship in Spirit and truth.

Again we see the reference to worshiping in Spirit and truth in the following scriptures:

Ephesians 5:18 – 20

18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 

19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.  Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 

20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Ephesians points to us being filled with the Spirit and Colossians to our being filled with the Word of God.  The Word of God provides us with teachings and instructions and the Spirit of God enables us to apply it.

  

We also see in these two passages what type of music is acceptable for worship.

Psalms:  This is the written Word of God.

Hymns:  These are songs usually comprising of theological truths written by human composers.

Spiritual Songs:  These are songs that are prompted by the Holy Spirit often during a time of worship.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS  (I CORINTHIANS 12 – 14)

Instructions for worship can also be found in the New Testament and here we find the introduction of spiritual gifts.

I Corinthians 12:1-31; Romans 12:6–8 and Ephesians 4:11– 13.

We have further instruction on how to operate in these gifts in an orderly fashion.  I Corinthians 14:26 – 33.

Each and every believer has been given at least one gift and it has been given for the edification of the church. 

We have also been given talents and it is the responsibility of every believer to be using their gifts and talents

In order that the church may be blessed.  We need to learn to become givers and not just takers and become a blessing to the church that we may find ourselves in. 

THE GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE

(JESUS THE HIGH PRIEST – PRAYER AND INTERCESSION)

Part of our worship is prayer and intercession.  We too are priests 

1 Peter 2:5 You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

And just as Jesus our high priest makes intercession for us (Romans 8:27 And he who searches out hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.) so must we make intercession for one another. 

Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.As we have seen, worship in the Holy Place involves worshiping and praying under the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

It is interesting to note that the Golden Altar of Incense was just before the entrance to the Holy of Holies.  Never under estimate the importance of prayer.  In Revelation 5:8 we see that the twenty-four elders each had a harp and were holding golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Having moved through a time of praise (Outer Court) and Spirit filled worship and intercession (Holy Place), we now move into a time of intimate worship and fellowship (Holy of Holies).

THE HOLY OF HOLIES

(MANIFEST PRESENCE OF GOD – INTIMATE WORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP)

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT / THE MERCY SEAT

 The Holy of Holies is the meeting place where God and man meet.  This is the place of intimate worship and fellowship.  1 John 1:3 …and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. The level of intimacy will depend on your relationship with God.  The more intimate the relationship, the more intimate the worship.

It is through our times of communion with God that a friendship develops.  It was said of Moses that he and God spoke as friends at the tent of meeting.  Exodus 33:11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.

We can’t worship someone we don’t know.  Friendships take time and effort to develop. 

As we end this journey together, I would like to encourage you to take time to develop an intimate relationship with God.  If you do not yet know Christ as your personal Savior, then that is the first step.  Until there is a spiritual rebirth, you will never know true worship.  All it will ever be is dead religion.  Worship depends on relationship.

I would also like to encourage you to spend much time in His Word and to pray more.  Take time also to discover what your spiritual gifts and talents are and how to use them in order to be a blessing to your church.

May our Lord bless you, guide you, protect you and give you his shalom.

Every blessing in Christ,

Charmaine

Clim Jews for Jesus 

Add value

21 October 2011

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Your self worth is not determined in what you earn but in who you are. What is scary is when you are working for a company and they employ someone new, then you find out that they are paying them a third more than you earn. The added bonus is that you still have to train them to do the job. This kind of situation is very taxing and results in becoming disillusioned with the decision makers who actually use you for their own advantage. If you allow the salary to determine your value it causes you to base your value in monetary terms, yet you are more valuable than all the money in the world.

Yesterday some one joking said that they were available and cheap, my response was that may be true but you were bought at a great price. Jesus has paid your ransom price. So when we look at our self worth, we do our jobs and we do them well, not because of how much we are paid, but rather how much value may we add to those that employ us. If our employers do not see our worth, that is their blindness not ours. Equity in this world today is based on many things, and because of this the measure of equity is politically motivated, rather than on true value of a person.

Be encouraged today to know that you are of great value.

David

Point to ponder: You have been bought at a price.  

  

Question to consider: Do you add value?

A beautiful day

20 October 2011

Psalms 135:7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightening for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

Last night we had rain, and  according to the rain gauge about 8mm, this morning the sun is shining and the sky is clear. The wind is crisp and cool with the trees no longer dust laden and the new leaves shimmering in the clear sun light. Walking and looking at the gardens with the fresh smell of rain brings a hope into our hearts and a joy in our spirit. We water for days and we never get the same result as one rain shower, when God does it He does it well!

So each of us need a little rain in our lives, that rain from God that washes us clean that refreshes us and where His light is reflected off us because we are no longer dusty. It is so nice to feel alive again, to feel the wind, see the sun and marvel at the pictures the clouds paint in the sky. We often forget it is clouds that brings the rain, sometimes with lightening and thunder, so when we have clouds hanging over our heads we need to be reminded that God is going to bring His rain in our lives.

Be encouraged today to recognise God’s hand in your clouds, He is bringing rain.

David

Point to ponder: God brings rain in it’s season.  

  

Question to consider: Do you complain about the clouds?

Rest

18 October 2011

Mark 6:31 And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves.

Do you ever find that you have just had enough? What you do for others never seems to be good enough and your pay is below what others are being paid. Each day has its challenges and most of the challenges comes from those whom you are trying to help and they simply have no appreciation for what you do. Even your close family seems to just use you as a bank and never say thank you to you for what you do, just like every one else they take you for granted? You are not feeling well and you just wish you could run away from everything.

When we start to feel like this we need to put some warning lights on, because we are burning ourselves out. For some of us we do not want to take a break so we take a pill. So because you feel you need to get away, you need to get away, to go find a place where you are able to rest. Rest from all the pressures, rest from all your cares, a rest spent where you can sleep, think, feel and process that which is worrying you. Even Jesus went away on a regular basis to rest, are you better than Jesus? You may not be able to take a two week holiday but you could take a weekend. We all need to take stock of who we are, what we want to do, how we want to do it and then to do it faithfully. We are not called in ministry to be successful, we are called to be faithful.

Be encouraged today to plan some time for just you to rest.

David

Point to ponder: You need rest, to rest in the presence of Jesus.  

Question to consider: Do you feel it is just getting to much?

In his presence

18 October 2011

Zechariah 14:20-21 And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, "Holy to the LORD." And the pots in the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the altar; and every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be sacred to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the flesh of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day.

To live in the presence of the God on a daily basis is both possible and attainable, it takes us to realise that we cannot live any other way. When we say that God is everywhere and He lives in our hearts, then how can we live as if this is not true. To remind us of this fact we need to have His Name, ‘Jesus’ visible around us and on the things we use. The pot we cook in is His pot, the food in the pot is His food, the home we have is His home and the office we work in is His as well. All that we do, all that we are is then focused on our Lord, so the food we eat, the money we earn is all a sacrifice to our Lord.

The entrance to our homes should be marked with His name, on our roof we should display a cross so that all can see we live in His shadow. Our coming and going should be in prayer, our business should be in prayer, so that we do all for Jesus, because every sale is His sale, and He shares in our success. So as a result there will be no need to have fetes to raise money for the church, because all will give what belongs to God with joy.

Be encouraged today to live in the presence of our Holy God.

David

Point to ponder: We need to live with reminders that Jesus is our Lord.  

  

Question to consider: Do you work, live and breathe the presence of the Living God?

Choose peace

17 October 2011

Romans 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all.

Each of us is given the ability and opportunity to be able to live peaceably. The ability to chose is also a gift and when we choose to live at peace we become peacemakers. Peace depends on you, it takes two to dance the tango and in the same way it takes two to argue. So we look at those around us we need to see them with the eyes of Christ.

The reason for this is that they  may be in difficult situation, they may have to always be in control, they may be unhappy and so on. They then react to those around them and so cause tension and stress, we then choose to accept that stress or to ignore the stress. As we come to understand the power to choose, so we choose to be understanding, kind, gentle and so on allowing people to come to peace. It is peace that brings release from aggression or tension or anxiety.  So as far as we are concerned we know as far as possible we choose to live peaceably with all.

Be encouraged today that as far as it depends upon you, to live peaceably with all.

David

Point to ponder: Be at peace.  

  

Question to consider: Do you choose peace?

Look where you are going

14 October 2011

Genesis 19:26 But Lot's wife behind him looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Some people seem to need to walk backwards through life, they are more concerned with where they have been and done than about looking forward to where they are going. If we had to physically walk and keep looking backwards, we are likely to either fall, slow down all those we are journeying with, and the least of our problems becomes a stiff neck. The result of the stiff neck is getting a pain in the neck and the person becomes a pain in the neck to others.

The story of Lot’s wife is simple, they had to move out of the sinful lifestyle, as God was going to destroy it and turn it into ash. The angels told them to not look back, get away and start a new life in another place. Yet Lot’s wife kept looking back. The result that she could not move and she became a pillar of salt. In the same way we need to keep looking forward and leave the past behind, we need wisdom to deal with the future rather than being pacified each time we dwell on the past.

Be encouraged today to look forward with hope, rather than to look backwards in despair.

David

Point to ponder: Hope is in our tomorrows.  

  

Question to consider: Do you dwell in what if’s and if only’s?

Open your ears

13 October 2011

Genesis 18:10 The LORD said, "I will surely return to you in the spring, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.

What makes the difference between those that succeed and those that do not, the first is the definition of success. What is success to one person may not be success to another. So often we determine our success by comparison, rather than introspection. We are successful when we do what we believe to be what we should do well. So to be successful we need to know what we should do and to be able to do it well.

So today what is it that you should do and will you be able to do it well? Many of us do not actually know what it is that we should be doing, so we do what we think we should do, and then do it because we have to and not because we want to and we end up just getting the job done. Most often the problem is poor communication, we do not listen, we hear but do not comprehend, and we respond to what we think we hear. Successful people listen, they listened to their parents, they listened to their teachers and they have learnt the art of listening to what the need is, when the do what is needed they will be successful. Doing something because you think it is needed without confirming the need is a bit silly and will not lead to success.

Sarah was not just hearing the voices, she was listening to what was being said and she understood what it implied for her. Hearing words does not mean that understand them, listening does.

Be encouraged today to do what you should do and do it well.

David

Point to ponder: Successful people listen.  

  

Question to consider: Do you actually listen and understand?

A journey of faith

12 October 2011

Genesis 12:1-2 Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

Living on this earth one can see the beauty around us, experience the emotions of holding your new born baby in your arms, see the wonders of nature and then proclaim that we have a Creator God. This allows for each of us to see the hand of God in all His creation and to enjoy what God has provided for us. For some of us we worship our Creator;  giving thanks and praise, for others they worship the creation.

Each person on earth is given the opportunity to worship the Creator, though many will distort this into their own form of worship. For others though there comes about a change in the relationship between themselves and the Creator and in that change the relationship becomes personal, no longer just part of creation, the Creator touches the life of the person as individual. This is what happened to Abram, when God spoke, he listened and followed that which he heard in faith.

The difference between Creator God and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is the faith relationship that is required. When we believe that God exists then this is the beginning of our faith relationship with God, and we then journey in faith to His promised land, and in faith accepting His promises in our life.

Be encouraged today to start a journey of faith.

David

Point to ponder: In faith we journey.  

Question to consider: Are you on a faith journey?

Faith

Albert has faith that this photographer will deliver this picture to him in hard copy


11 October 2011

Hebrews 11:8-10  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

In a world where God does not exist and the concept of God is not found in that world, and you suddenly find yourself alone in that world, how would you tell others of the existence of God? A God who is invisible, a God that only exists in the faith and experience of Him that you have. Most of us do not give thought that, for some people and even nations, that for them God does not exist, and because we have our faith, our places of worship, we are isolated from the reality of the world around us.

The reality is that most people we meet everyday has no belief in God, their concept of God is distorted, in countries like Russia millions of people have not heard that God exists. So when you meet a Russian who has no concept of God, what do you say, how do you say it, and maybe even why do you even want to say that God exists. As a student of theology, as an ordained minister; God’s existence cannot be easily explained without faith in God, so where people have no faith in God it is nearly impossible to convince them otherwise.

It is our primary faith that God exists that is the beginning of all understanding of our relationship with God, without that faith we are lost. This faith in itself is a gift from God and has been given to all people on earth, including those who deny the existence of God. Their faith becomes distorted into believing in themselves, in their governments and the belief that man and his systems can exist without God. So a political party replaces God because they place their faith in that, where we place our faith, becomes the god’s in our lives. And so kings become god’s, presidents demigod’s and nations turn from the true God.

Be encouraged today to rejoice in the faith that you have, it is a God-gift.

David

Point to ponder: Faith is the beginning of understanding.  

Question to consider: Do you rejoice in your faith?

Rain in its season

10 October 2011

Mark 11:13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

Today is the birthday of Paul Kruger and this day used to be a public holiday in South Africa up until 1994. Also in the farming community it was believed that if it rained well before this day it would be a dry summer, and you only ploughed after this day. So dates and seasons are important as markers in the yearly calendar, as these tell us what to expect at what time. One cannot expect to pick oranges in December and trees do not blossom in winter, neither figs in Spring.

In the same way we mark the season we are in regarding where we are in our lives, some of us are in the spring of life, others in autumn, some even in winter. The fruits of these seasons should be seen in us and through us, and so we do things and say things appropriate to them. We need to have things happen at the right time and in the right way, so we find we become part of the season we are in. This also applies to  our spirituality and so we find that our spiritual journey is often related to the season of our life. Sometimes we have a great Spring then a dry summer, a wet autumn and warm winter, so the same may apply to our spiritual need and the fruits we produce. If Jesus came to find our fruit, would we have any?

Be encouraged today to be in the right season in your life.

David

Point to ponder: We all bear fruit.  

  

Question to consider: What fruit are you bearing?

Biblical Corporate Worship - part 2

9 October 2011

Shalom dear readers,

This week we will examine the Brazen Altar and the Brazen Laver.

     

In the outer court of the tabernacle, stood two furnishings: the bronze altar and the bronze laver and this is where the priests served the people by assisting them in their sacrificial offerings. This speaks of action and service.  How often do we get so caught up in our ministries and service to God that we forget the most important thing - communion and fellowship with Him?  The priests had to go into the inner court to “minister to the Lord” just as we need to move from activity to being still before the Lord.  Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

In our worship, we can also get so caught up in praise that we never move on into worship.  There is a growing tendency today to cater to the likes and dislikes of the people rather than on what pleases God. Today the question is “What will draw the people in?”  What ever happened to the Holy Spirit drawing the people?  John 6:44 No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him:…..

Notice that when David introduced music and musical instruments into the worship, he never inquired of the people as to what their favorite songs and styles of music were.

In order to begin moving into the Holy place and the Holy of Holies we need to follow a process.  Once having moved into the outer court through the gate, we approach the bronze altar of sacrifice.

THE BRAZEN ALTAR  (SACRIFICE)

The difference between Old Testament and New Testament Worship is that we no longer sacrifice animals as Jesus Christ was our once and for all sacrifice.

The brazen altar points to Jesus our sacrificial Lamb.

John 1:29 Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Just as Jesus came to do the will of the Father and laid down his life as a sacrifice so that we could have eternal life, so we are to die to our own desires and submit to the will of God.  We were created to do the will of God.

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.

In terms of worship we are exhorted to bring a sacrifice of praise.  Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name. The psalmist declares in Psalm 116:17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD.

Our praise is not governed by our emotions and feelings or by our circumstances and situations therefore we praise him simply because he is God and worthy of our praise and adoration.

Next we approach the brazen laver.

THE BRAZEN LAVER   (REFLECTION)

T
he brazen laver was made from the copper mirrors of the women.  The purpose of a mirror is to reflect back 
an image.

We too during our time of worship need to take time for reflection and confession.

The ministry of the Laver points us to the Word of God which gives us a true and clear image of ourselves as we are, as God sees us. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to convict us of sin.

Psalm 139:23 – 24

23 Search me, O God and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts. 

24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

We need to remember that worship is not just about singing but also about reading and studying the Word of God.

It is in the outer court stage of our worship that we need to deal with our sin and the issues that are in our lives. The focus in our worship at this stage is on Jesus who takes away our sin. We can’t continue in worship with unconfessed sin in our lives.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness.

The next level of worship is the Holy Place, which we will look at next week.

As we continue our spiritual journey, may we be encouraged to spend more time in His Word and more time developing an intimate relationship with Him.

Blessings,

Charmaine

Clim Jews for Jesus

Where do you sit?

8 October 2011

Matthew 20:23-24 He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.

Some people only can survive if they are filled with their own self importance, they must believe that they are in control and will do and say anything to maintain it. The shocking reality is that they are replaceable and when they leave an organisation a month later people will hardly remember them. The lesson is that what we do is not important and even who we are is of little consequence to others, we need to remember that true humility is a reflection of true obedience to the higher calling on our life.

The worse belittling experience is when you are at a function and you sit close to the main table, only to be told that you are in the incorrect seat and you get moved to the table closest to the kitchen door and directly opposite the speakers of the sound system. Where you sit is not a right but the choice of the person who is your host or the person that is responsible for operating the business you work for.

The only person that truly considers you important is Jesus Christ and even He cannot guarantee where you will sit in heaven! We just need to be thankful that we still have a chair there.

Be encouraged today to be humble and obedient to your higher calling.

  

David

Point to ponder: Rights are related to pride.  

Question to consider: Is where you sit important to you?

Linga-Longa

The power of prayer goes with the power of faith, when we pray and ask for something in the name of Jesus Christ, these prayers are answered and what we have asked for we will receive. We give thanks to God for answered prayer!!

Firstly we received a donation for the sole purpose of purchasing a ride-on grass cutting machine, this is amazing and we are able to cut grass and lawn with this machine. Secondly we were able to repair the swimming pool and the leaks have been fixed and the pool is fully operational. Thirdly a generous person had a low pressure solar geyser delivered to us for installation, which will be installed for use in the kitchen. This is the one place where we need hot water all the time and using the sun to do it is fantastic.

We have also re-thatched room 18 and completely re-vamped the bathroom, the room opposite which was used as a bookshop has been converted into a counselling/prayer room for the use of the ministers or facilitators. We have also had a spate of burst galvanised pipes and all the water supply pipes to rooms 6 to 18 have been replaced with the new cobra PVC pipe. The old galvanised pipes were extremely corroded.

The gardens are looking beautiful with the spring colours and the avocado and mango’s are in blossom as well as all the citrus trees. In the vegetable garden butternut, beetroot, Hubbard squash, watermelon, sweet melon (spanspek), cucumber, tomatoes, beans have all been sowed and we are all praying for a bumper crop.

We have been very busy with groups especially August and September; we are looking forward to groups booking for next year. Please consider coming to us for your church camps or even for a mid-week break. If you do not support us who will?

We are also involved directly in providing help and a home to Shane and Stephen both of whom have no source of income at this stage. In return for board and lodging they assist us in the many tasks that needs to be done.

Healing Ministry

Jesus made it clear to His followers that it was required of them to heal the sick, all those that believed in Him believed that healing the sick was the normality of the Christian life. Within the history of the Church the movement was to focus on the knowledge and structure of the church organisation, who did what became more important than fulfilling the purpose of the Church, which was to heal the sick and bring succour to the broken-hearted.

The reality is that many people today are still in need of the same ministry that Jesus Christ came to earth to provide and the question asked is where will such healing be offered to those people in need? The problem encountered more often than not is that of unbelief, poor faith response and preaching that proclaims the gospel but denies the power thereof. Jesus Christ is the same today as He was yesterday and will be the same tomorrow, His Word is the truth and it is upon the truth of that Word that the healing ministry either stands or falls. If His word is true then it must follow that when it is preached in truth, the signs and wonders will follow.

The sick need to visit the church, just as much as the church needs to visit the sick. Not just the sick on the membership roll but also those who need to be healed who are not. The call to do so is not structured in an institution but based on the calling of those who follow Jesus Christ and are obedient to His calling on their life, ‘Go and heal the sick”.

When someone is sick in our family we need to pray for them, when we see a need within others we should pray for them. When we turn to God in prayer God turns to us, and He will hear our prayer and heal.

Missions and outreach

When one does a mission it is a compliment to be invited to return and to continue the ministry in the congregation. As a result a number of congregations has built up a relationship with the Christ Healing Ministry. The problem with this is that this requires a personal touch and not all those in need are helped. With the help of Theo Schmidt this was addressed to a certain extent with the book published by the Christ Healing Fellowship, ‘Yes, you are healed’. We have realised that this has been limited in its achievement as it will only reach those though the written media. A decision was taken by the Board of the Christ Healing Fellowship to expand this through the use of the electronic media; so a website is under construction to be used by all who have access through the internet. The first domain is christianhealing.co.za and the second linga-longa.co.za these will be interrelated domains. All the talks and support required will be found on the sites and hopefully will be linked into the denominational sites as well. We hope to have this up and running shortly. This will also include suggestions for healing services, liturgical aspects of healing, as well as relevant issues such as healing and depression, healing and Christian marriage and so on. This will be available to any person with access to the internet, any where in the world. All you need to know about Christian healing hopefully in due course will be published on this site.

During October we are also having a retreat, the topic being the ‘Refreshing of the Holy Spirit’. In from 19 to 24 November I will be in Kokstad doing mission work at St Columba Presbyterian Church, with regard to the healing of family relationships, on the weekend 25 to 27 November a Woman’s Retreat will be held at Linga-Longa organised by Polokwane Methodist at which I will be facilitating the retreat: ‘Being a woman for Christ”. This is open to any woman who would like to attend.

We have also been blessed with a visit of a young lady Yuyan He from main land China who is undertaking a two month internship with us here at Linga-Longa. She will be helping us to develop a marketing profile which hopefully will help us to position the work we do and offer what we do to a wider audience in the community we serve.

Support needs

We always need support but we often feel that we should not always be telling people what we need. However, we need to be bringing our prayer requests to your attention, because we know that God is our only Provider and when we are united in prayer these prayers will be answered. We are praying for many who are sick on our prayer list, many of whom have been healed in answer to that prayer. For us to continue, we need you to be praying for us that the work we are doing here for Jesus Christ will continue.

We are still praying for God to raise up the right couple with a love for Jesus to come and help us to manage Linga-Longa. We are also praying that our finances will be blessed through the support of those coming and using the Retreat Centre. For it is out of this support that we are reinvesting in Linga-Longa by upgrading and refurbishing the facilities.

OUR BANK DETAILS ARE: The Christ Healing Fellowship

ABSA BANK, BELA BELA AC.no 4048900830    Code 632 005

For any membership fees or donations

Daily Encouragement

Who does not need encouragement? This is an on-going ministry that is slowly growing in it’s outreach with over 240 people receiving the daily encouragement via email. Many who do receive this are not necessary attending church or even a member of a congregation and in this simple way many people are receiving the Gospel which they would otherwise not have received. Over the last 6 years or so nearly 1500 of these has been sent out, with not one being repeated. This also results in providing on-line counselling for those who request advice and help.

Financial aspects

As most of you are aware many aspects in terms of the budget has come under pressure due to price increases beyond our control. The Electricity bill of Escom has increased by 40% and fuel costs, tollgates has increased in real terms by 13%. With careful management and strict controls we have been able to show a small increase in net income of about 10%, this does not allow for any unexpected costs. The cash reserves are low and we need to have at least two groups a month of 35 people to be able to meet our costs. We thank God that we have been able to do this, this year. As stewards of God’s property we need to ensure that we are obtaining the correct income in relation to expenditure which requires us to increase the tariff for 2012 by 16,66%. We still need to have 840 beds filled over weekends in 2012!

Below see our tariffs for 2012 which we still consider to very competitive

Tariffs 2012:

A 50% non-refundable deposit is required to confirm the bookings.

Double Room Daily Rate per person sharing:

Group weekend R550.00 Friday Supper to Sunday lunch.

 Bed/breakfast: R250.00 .

Dinner/ Bed/breakfast: R300.00 .

Full board: R350.00 .

Self catering cottages tariff on request

David