31 July 2022 - ENCS

Today as our study of Philippians reached its final climax

Pastor Josh delivered a sermon aptly entitled “Life Hacks”

If we look at chapter four verse twelve of his exhortation

Paul gives us secrets of being content in every situation

Starting in verse thirteen, his first point we clearly see

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

God’s unlimited resources, Paul encourages us to use

But not only with the people we would normally choose

As a side note, he adds “don’t hear what I am not saying"

Our real messaging is evident in acts we are displaying

Each of us is blessed with talents, money, and/or time

Leveraging these to bless others should be our paradigm

That adage links to a oft-quoted promise from heaven

The “generous person will prosper” per Proverbs eleven

Remember that our eyes do not face in, but look out

For God’s kingdom is outward looking without a doubt

We should aim to please God until in heaven we arrive

This is what Paul conveyed in Second Corinthians five

And do not store treasures on earth, per Matthew six

For where our treasure is, our heart’s eyes will affix

24 July 2022 - ENCS

Vicki Tekwani shared the message today on Philippians four

Over “The Closing Remarks” from Paul’s letter Vicki did pore

Paul provided the recipients practical keys to living a godly life

Something that was very hard given the persecution and strife

There were several critical truths that Paul wanted to impart

For the church in Philippi had a very special place in his heart

“Stand firm in the Lord in this way”, as stated in verse one

For there will always be disagreements, which are not fun

“Let your reasonableness be seen by all for God is at hand”

That is what Paul in verse five does instruct, if not command

Showing gentleness to our enemies is a sign of moderation

Instead of judging, we can listen and engage in conversation

Remember that Jesus shared the truth with love and grace

In the Asian context, this could involve showing others face

Verse four states that we should “rejoice in the Lord always”

The onus is on us to act, perhaps moreso these stressful days

Remember that we have free will and can exert our druthers

For when we rejoice, it strengthens us and influences others

Per Habakkuk three verse eighteen, there is an admonition

The prophet also said to rejoice despite his tough condition

For as Vicki said, we can always find things to be thankful for

The chance to worship, our family and friends, and more

Verse six is one of the Bible passages that is most oft-quoted

So “do not be anxious about anything…but pray”, it is noted

Because God cares about us, our praying gives us peace

Out strengths will increase while our stresses will decrease

As Vicki moved on and highlighted excellence per verse eight

That which is true, honourable, pure, and many a similar trait

So “be content whatever the circumstances”, per verse eleven

Verse thirteen says we can do all with strength from heaven

23 July 2022 - Faith-based Entrepreneurship

Today’s Faith-based Entrepreneurship had food platters

The focus of the video and talk was “Excellence Matters”

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart” we see

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians three verse twenty three

It is critical to remember that excellence is not perfection

And it should be considered relative to one’s expectation

Perhaps the most important element is to generate trust

To do that internally or externally, transparency is a must

And since we all report to God, the real higher authority

We should approach negotiations with a win/win mentality

It is better to suffer for doing good per God’s will, it is seen

Than for doing evil, per First Peter three verse seventeen

If we act with integrity whether or not others can see

In the long run, relationships form our enduring legacy

It was aptly pointed out that if we successfully live love

We will assuredly impact others and please God above

17 July 2022 - ENCS

Pastor Josh continued the series, looking at Philippians three

Halfway through the letter, the first word is ironically “finally"

“It is no trouble…to write the same...to you again” Paul said

It is an important safeguard he will repeat until his deathbed

Rejoice in the Lord and beware the dogs who to flesh do evil

The enemy whispers in our ears in order to cause upheaval

If we listen to him, our blessings from God we surely miss

That is the equivalent of falling from a peak into the abyss

We do this by worshiping God in the Spirit, per verse three

Rejoicing in Christ, not having confidence in flesh, we see

These are the internal marks that now replace circumcision

For we no longer require external proof of God’s provision

Paul pointed out his previous supposedly strong credentials

The right heritage, teaching, and actions - Jewish essentials

But those gains he now considered a loss, per verse seven

They pale compared to a relationship with Christ from heaven

It is important to note our value comes from this relationship

Rather than our performance or possessions, Josh did quip

We should forget the past and “strain toward what is ahead”

If we follow Paul’s example, God’s glory will no doubt spread

10 July 2022 - ENCS

The Philippians series Pastor Josh did today continue

He started by reading from the first verse of chapter two

But note the first word “therefore” implies a continuation

“Believe…and suffer for His sake” the preceding quotation

So in challenging times, Josh asked, how we we thrive

He said that to “be one”, not be alone, we should strive

Per verse two, we should be of one accord and mind

Start by reaching out to others as well as being kind

Look out for others and their interest, per verse four

Complaining and disputing things, we should abhor

By adopting this attitude, to the world we can be light

Even brighter at night, like the stars shining at night

To esteem others better than one’s self, per verse three

Should be done from a position of self-love in actuality

For if we look at Jesus’ actions in John chapter thirteen

Despite His position, He washed disciples’ feet clean

That is a reminder that we should always be humble

Being passionate can bring suffering - do not grumble

We should be ready by holding fast to the word of life

Being obedient to God even when temptations are rife

We should be fearful and tremble, per verse twelve

A semicolon implies that into the next we should delve

It says that God works in us to fulfil His good purpose

Input from any other source is therefore superfluous

3 July 2022 - ENCS

On the book of Philippians, Pastor Mark today did speak

Fifty one mentions of Jesus serve to add to His mystique

Understanding more about Jesus helps us His lens to use

Our perspective will change and life will no longer confuse

Many different contrasts in chapter one we clearly see

Servants and saints, life and death, good will and envy

Beginning and completion as well as confidence and fear

As Pastor Mark said, using Jesus’ lens makes them clear

Paul and Timothy were a team despite the big age gap

About their strong relationship Pastor Mark did recap

We should each have a Paul and a Timothy, Mark said

To be discipled and disciple others we should not dread

 

His points once again serve as a good reminder to me

To life’s events through an appropriate lens try to see

To obey God’s word rather than follow my own druthers

To be open to both learning and teaching from others 

1 July 2022 - ENCS

Pastor Mark shared at worship just the other night

His words were brief but the message was just right

From Second Chronicles chapter seven he did refer

We should humble ourselves and wicked ways deter

For then we will receive forgiveness from God’s hand

And the verse says He also promises to heal our land

Pastor also spoke about Philippians chapter one

From Paul and Timothy, who was his spiritual son

The term “servants’ implies obedience and humility

That tells us the attitude that in us God wants to see

Pastor Mark then spoke about different generations

And the importance of building strong foundations

Each generation can and should both learn and teach

And in that way we continue the church’s outreach