29 May 2016 - ENCS

Pastor Larry brought the series on the book of Acts to an end

There is power in one prayer and one message, he did contend

And there is clearly power of the gospel in this world of selfies

For when shared, the gospel can change lives with great ease

Paul was not ashamed of the gospel, per Romans one sixteen

For the gospel is the power of God for salvation of all, it is seen

Peter and the centurion Cornelius were at the core of Acts ten

Cornelius may have been the one about whom Luke did pen

Devout, generous, God-fearing, and prayerful per verse two

We should not look at appearances but on what people do

Pastor Larry then said that the gospel builds faith to pray

Which then reminds us of the power of praying every day

From verse nine, Peter had a vision telling him to eat everything

Which was God’s way of telling him that to tradition not to cling

God said “do not call anything impure that God has made clean”

For sharing the gospel with Gentiles is what He really did mean

Pastor Larry then highlighted that the gospel trumps tradition

The gospel is available to everyone, for God has no predisposition

In the next part, we are reminded about Peter and the number three

Cornelius sent three men and the vision three times Peter did see

Linking to his denials and Jesus’ reinstatement in John twenty one

For God prepares us for the future as he repairs what we have done

Pastor Larry then stated that the gospel heals our broken past

So once we accept the gospel, there is no reason to be downcast

Peter spoke to a large group of people, starting with verse thirty four

God’s message and the Holy Spirit are for everyone, he did implore

This is why believers have been charged with the Great Commission

Because in God’s ideal world, there should not be a single omission

Pastor Larry concluded by saying that the gospel is to be preached

That is the only way the good news can be shared with the unreached

8 May 2016 - ENCS

About Stephen in Acts six and seven, Pastor Josh Harris did speak
Stephen was filled with grace and compassion but was not meek
His signs, wonders, and healings led religious leaders to him attack
In these disputes, wisdom and discernment Stephen did not lack
The religious leaders then instigated others to bear false witness
Stephen’s face remained angelic even when facing such a mess
This is consistent with First Peter chapter four, Josh did highlight
If insulted in Jesus’ name, we are blessed with His glory and might

For much of chapter seven, the Old Testament Stephen did recount
Highlighting the Israelites’ oft rebellion against God was paramount
Stephen then told the leaders that they were similarly stiff-necked
Saying that they did not obey the law that angels had put into effect
Asking “was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?"
The leaders were furious although his facts they could not dispute

So they dragged Stephen to be stoned to death outside the city gate
But through it all, Stephen was still filled with God’s love, not any hate
With his last words, he asked God not to punish them for their sin
If he had not done so, they would have taken judgement on the chin
This would have probably changed the course of the Christian faith
For Saul (who became Paul) would not have survived, Josh did saith

15 May 2016 - ENCS

Pastor Josh tonight continued the series on the book of Acts

About Philip and Simon, chapter eight contains lots of facts

The chapter starts with the persecution of the church by Saul

Over the new believers, this of course cast quite a serious pall

But the story of the church was far from over, Josh did say

We should remember this when we face a challenging day

Those scattered preached the gospel wherever they went

To a town in Samaria, Philip was effectively by God sent

Starting in verse nine, about Simon the Sorcerer we do read

He boasted that he was great because of many a magic deed

But the Samarian people were baptised when Philip came along

Even Simon acknowledged that the miracles were very strong

Into the new believers, the Holy Spirit Peter and John did confer

To get the power of Peter and John, lots of money Simon did offer

Peter sharply rebuked Simon and told him to repent immediately

Peter and John preached to many, in verse twenty five we do see

An angel of the Lord then told Philip to take the southern desert road

In a chariot reading Isaiah, an Ethiopian eunuch official then showed

About the passage on the lamb being slaughtered, Philip did explain

We too should have biblical knowledge to share about God’s reign

After getting baptised, the eunuch rejoiced and went on his way

He brought Christianity to Ethiopia that has lasted until this day

This highlights the importance of even one life, Josh did point out

We should take advantage of every opportunity, without a doubt

Philip kept preaching everywhere, refusing to take a proverbial bow

For what matters is not what we did in the past, but what we do now

1 May 2016 - ENCS

Joy Talavera today spoke on “Getting Involved Is An Opportunity”

On the screen, verses one to seven of Acts chapter six we did see

The Hellenists complained that their widows were not getting fed

The Twelve rightly wanted to keep spreading the word, Luke said

So to serve the group, they selected a wise and Spirit-filled seven

Philip, Procurus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmaeus, Nicolas, and Stephen

First, getting involved is an opportunity to be part of a community

Language differences even led the Hellenists to worship separately

But the Bible says that Christianity is for every tongue and race

So in the church, for everyone there is more than enough space

If we speak our native tongue in a mixed group, we tend to isolate

And thus lose the opportunity to from others knowledge inculcate

In terms of ENCS, that means speaking English when we mix

That is consistent with the core message from Acts chapter six

The Hellenists took their complaint to the leaders, Joy also did note

This is more effective and productive than looking for a scapegoat

Second, getting involved is an opportunity to be part of a solution

Four Hellenists were among the seven chosen for food distribution

Implying that they did more than just note an issue and complain

Joy said that perhaps our complaints indicate our service domain

Getting involved is an opportunity to be part of something bigger

The Hellenists did not allow the Twelve's reaction to be a trigger

For the Twelve were focused on the core activity of the group

They did not want to be distracted by serving bread and soup

But they recognised that the issue raised needed to be solved

And it gave others with different gifts the chance to be involved

Each of us has unique gifts and talents enabling us to serve well

And together as a body of Christ, we are even stronger, Joy did tell

Nonetheless, we should always remember the Great Commission

Because all of our actions should help bring God’s plans to fruition

In summary, Joy basically said that we should be involved with rigour

So we can be part of a community, a solution, and something bigger