18 February 2018 - ENCS

Pastor Joey was in keeping with the CNY season clad in red

For three years we will look at the book of Genesis, he said

From Genesis eleven verse ten we read of Shem’s family line

And per verse twenty seven, Terah set out from Ur by design

The beginning of chapter twelve speaks of Abram’s migration

All three - Noah, Terah, and Abram - decided for separation

Why people choose to migrate, there are three basic reasons

Environmental, socio-political, or extreme economic seasons

The exception to this rule was Abraham, who chose to obey

He was called to an unknown place, Hebrews eleven did say

Abram listened to God’s voice, because he did in God believe

Only much later his inheritance did Abram from God receive

Pastor Joey then asked us three questions on which to ponder

They should help ensure the from God’s path we do not wander

First and foremost, whose voice will we listen to this year?

Spending time to read the Bible if God’s voice we are to hear

He referred to William Penn, who books landed him in prison

But from whose later writings the US constitution was arisen

And if we listen to God, He will take care of the other issues

Philippians one verse six says to be confident in this news

The second is on whose promises will we trust this year?

God always delivers on his promises, so we should not fear

In Hebrews eleven verse nine, the word ‘promise’ is repeated

Abraham’s family lived in tents until the promise completed

The last one is what are we looking forward to this year?

By focusing on a godly foundation, our lives will rightly steer

In the same way a good house relies on a strong foundation

We should look to and hear God’s word without cessation

Pastor Joey said we should trust God to bless us at length

The secret is to admit our weakness and trust in His strength

The first part of that should be easy given our human nature

The second part relies on having a faith that is quite mature

11 February 2018 - ENCS

We were blessed this morning by visiting pastor Steve Murrell

'Who we are' is more important than 'what we do', he did tell

Using Genesis eleven, the multi-year series he did continue

Verses one through nine he did from the ESV read through

We often ask what to do when God’s plan differs from ours

But when that happens what does God do given His powers

In Genesis one, God told man to be fruitful and fill the earth

This was reiterated in chapter nine, emphasising its worth

Mankind decided to build a tower so they wouldn’t migrate

God thus dispersed the disobedient people, Steve did state

In a similar vein, from Deuteronomy one we then did hear

An eleven day trek to the Promised Land took forty year

In Acts one , the believers were told about the Holy Spirit

Upon receiving it, to the end of the earth they were to split

They stubbornly stayed in Jerusalem per Acts chapter eight

A massive persecution of the church was the resulting fate

Scattered throughout the world, this led the believers to be

God’s original plans coming to fruition, we once again see

Resisting God’s will may be normal but we should submit

Even Jesus asked if a change in plans God would permit

It is impossible to follow the example of Jesus on the cross

He paid the penalty for all of our sins with His life’s loss

But He can help us do God’s will be changing our heart

Giving us the grace to surrender to God and do our part

Resisting God’s will is not abnormal, similar to temptation

What matters is how we respond, with love as a foundation

So God, please be clear in how your plan you do convey

And have patience with me if from your path I do stray

Because I know that part of me will oft resist and protest

Yet I acknowledge that your plan for me is for the best

4 February 2018 - ENCS

To the series on Genesis, Pastor Joey Bonifacio returned today

There are three basic biblical principles to remember, he did say

What it meant then, what is means now, what it means for me

Context, relevance, application are thus what we should see

The tower of Babel was the focus of Genesis chapter eleven

People building a city with a tower brought God from heaven

In all aspects of life the principles of building can also be seen

So Joey asked to focus on how to build well in twenty eighteen

He said the three requirements to build effectively for mankind

Are agreement, communication, and of course a plan aligned

Per Genesis, the way that the city was built and all was down

People came, stayed, thought, and worked together as one

The issue was not that the people built a city in which to live

It was that making a name for themselves was their motive

When we are looking to take action, a motive is what we seek

But motives, Pastor said, can be good or bad, strong or weak

Our motive, per Christ’s words in Matthew five verse fifteen

Is to be a light in the world that is not hidden but always seen

For a light is meant to be put on a stand so others can see

That means that our good works should give God the glory

Underlying this motive, like any building, must be a foundation

This holds true whether it is an individual, a team, or a nation

The renovations for the leaning tower of Pisa took very long

Because its foundations were hard to correct, obviously wrong

So on God and His Word our foundation we must clearly make

For then what we build will have a good motive and no mistake

To me, that means to pray, to meditate, to share, and fellowship

So that through this journey of life here on earth I try not to trip