Special Meeting of Session

Dear All,

Please do not forget the Session meeting this coming Saturday, 11 June. It is a ‘ Spiritual Input’ meeting and the Rev Chris Judelsohn from the Midrand Church, has kindly agreed to lead us.Chris is the convener for Church Development and growth for the Presbytery of eGoli.

  

It is vital that all our elders are present at this meeting at this crucial time in the life of the congregation, and I appeal to everyone to be there even if it means canceling another engagement or finding someone to work in your place on Saturday.

Programme:

First half: 9.00am – 10.30am

Getting back to basics regarding the purpose and ministry of the Church.

10.30am   Tea

Second Half:

11.00am – 12.30pm

Specifics regarding St Mark’s, i.e. both the challenges facing ministry in our context and the opportunities.

The time together should provide an opportunity to reflect on the life of the congregation and the future of the ministry.

Chris hopes that by the end of the morning everyone would have a renewed sense of the purpose of the Church and an excitement for ministry, and also some ideas of possibilities that can be fleshed out in the months ahead.

Please all bring your Bibles.

Thanks and blessings,

Liz

God's temple

8  June 2011

1 Corinthians 3:17 If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.

You are the temple of God and you are holy, beautiful and filled with His glory and love. You are not of this world but have been made in the image of the Lover of your soul who wants to be with you for all eternity. You are the only part of all creation which is made in the image of the Creator, and because of that you are holy, because He is holy. Although we have been born into this world we are not of this world because our journey ends at the beginning of all eternity. So every life that is born of woman returns to God, no one that is born will not return to God.

When we return to God, we return tainted with the experiences of life in a sinful world, hurt by wickedness, hatred, despair, regret, but at the same time of having loved, lived and experienced peace, joy and family. We have been given so much to enjoy and experience yet we need to remind ourselves that the purpose is to learn to know our Creator and to enjoy Him. When we do we recognise that we are His and He who created us dwells in us, making us His temple.

Be encouraged today to be God’s temple.

David

Point to ponder: You are God’s temple.

Question to consider: Do you keep yourself holy?

Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

Love

7 June 2011

Romans 5:8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

If you love me, you will know me. So often we think that we know people and love them, but there are things about them that we do not know, or things that they keep from us. When we see them for who they are and even though we may not know everything the parts that we do know we treasure and love them because of that. So in all of us we have our good side and our bad side, and when a person knows this and still chooses to love us, what a joy it is.

So usually the people that love you are the people that knows you, and they know you as much as you will allow them to. The more they know about you the less you have to hide and the more honest you can be with them and even more so with your self. Actually I think you are very lovable, and I also think that you love to be loved. The problem is that love makes us vulnerable and the more vulnerable we are the more defensive we become. The beauty of love is that we need not be, when we allow honesty to dominate our relationships that are built on the foundation of trust.

The same applies with our relationship with Jesus, if we claim to love Him, we also claim that we know Him and what pleases Him. In the same way He loves us, because He knows us, and even then He still loves us.

Be encouraged today to get to know those who love you.

David

Point to ponder: Jesus loves you.

Question to consider: Do you know Jesus?

Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

Passion

6 June 2011

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

It is so important to be passionate about things, when we meet people that are passionate about what they believe and what they care about, it just makes such a difference. To be passionate is to be human, to have feelings, thoughts, desires and the hope of seeing these fulfilled, we need to be passionate about life and the expectation of a better tomorrow. What you passionate about speaks loudly about who you are, when you passionate about your children in tells about your love for them, when you passionate about money, it tells about who you are, when you are passionate about God it speaks of deep spirit of grace.

Sometimes we forget about what we are passionate about, and we allow the things around us to swamp out our hope for tomorrow. When things about us distract us, when cares become to heavy and the burdens of life bear down, we need to come back to what we are passionate about. These passions need to be directed to bring us hope and encouragement, to bring hope and encouragement to others, but most of all it must speak of the love in our hearts.

Be encouraged today to be passionate about those things that God has given us.

David

Point to ponder: God is a passionate God.

Question to consider: When last have you been passionate?

God's love

3 June 2011

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.

How great is our God, how awesome and incredible it is that a God who made all things made you and I, and even though we may feel inadequate or unworthy, He loves us with that same incredible love. We may be on the other side of the world from each other, we may be right next door, yet we have the same God who loves us both. You are a special person, loved and cherished by God our Father, blessed beyond our wildest imagination because of who He is and how He loves us now and for all eternity.

When your desk is to busy to receive encouragement, so cluttered with the business of what you do, to busy to let God take a moment and speak to you, how ever will you cope. Take a God break, take a moment every hour or so, and give God a thought or two, carry on with the work, but allow Him to carry the burden of the day. He wants too, because He loves you and cares about what you have to do.

Be encouraged today to keep your soul warm with the love of God.

David

Point to ponder: God loves you.

Question to consider: Do you feel God’s love?

Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

God's Temple

1 June 2011


1 Corinthians 3:17 If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.
 
You are the temple of God and you are holy, beautiful and filled with His glory and love. You are not of this world but have been made in the image of the Lover of your soul who wants to be with you for all eternity. You are the only part of all creation which is made in the image of the Creator, and because of that you are holy, because He is holy. Although we have been born into this world we are not of this world because our journey ends at the beginning of all eternity. So every life that is born of woman returns to God, no one that is born will not return to God.
 
When we return to God, we return tainted with the experiences of life in a sinful world, hurt by wickedness, hatred, despair, regret, but at the same time of having loved, lived and experienced peace, joy and family. We have been given so much to enjoy and experience yet we need to remind ourselves that the purpose is to learn to know our Creator and to enjoy Him. When we do we recognise that we are His and He who created us dwells in us, making us His temple.
 
Be encouraged today to be God’s temple.
  
David
 
Point to ponder : You are God’s temple.
 
Question to consider : Do you keep yourself holy?
 
Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com  

Ascension Day

2 June 2011

Acts 1:10-11 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

Today we celebrate and remember the day that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and that He was seen by many people rising in the clouds from the mount of Olives and rose out of sight above Jerusalem. Since then all Christians around the world remember this day and keep it close to their heart, some take time off if they can and go to their local church to share with others the joy of Christ’s ascension to the right hand of God the Father. In the business of this world many have chosen rather to forget the importance of this day, and treat like any other work day.

We as Christians look forward to the return of Jesus Christ like a woman waiting for the birth of her child, we have a hope and a faith that this day will come soon. The world at the moment is having labour pains, preparing for the return of Jesus Christ, others are saying the world is ending and the rapture has been and gone, we hear others speaking foolishness with millions of people giving credit for the nonsense spoken. When Jesus Christ returns like a thief in the night, will He find you busy doing what He commanded you to do?

Be encouraged today to be busy doing the things Jesus asked you to do.

David

Point to ponder: Keep watch.

Question to consider: Are you ready for the return of Jesus Christ?

Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com