Sunday, January 28, 2018

28 January 2018 - ENCS

Pastor Joey finished the series on starting twenty eighteen
First by reviewing the key messages we had earlier seen
We need clarity and consecration to overcome habits bad
So discovery, desire, and decision can be more than a fad
Evolving into delight, devotion, and our God-driven destiny
Rather than a continual loop leading to repetitive discovery

Joey said there are many reasons why to self we must die
Most important, this is the path that pleases God most high
Secondly, by doing so we can resurrect that which was dead
Thirdly, it puts us on a path to a values-filled destiny instead
Finally, the path we follow and exhibit - make no mistake
Is the one that our children and friends will also likely take

We are to be the salt of the earth, per Matthew chapter five
Without losing our saltiness as long as on earth we survive
In biblical times, salt was important for a variety of reasons
It was for healing, flavouring, and preserving in all seasons
Implying that we should do the same in all our interactions
And not be too concerned with others’ words or reactions

In the same passage, Jesus admonished us to be a light
By illuminating, clarifying, and exposing wrong from right
In the presence of others, we must let God’s light shine
We must die to self and then live like Jesus who is divine
Connecting to today's world without compromise or offence
And being excellent for God’s glory no matter the expense

For myself, in order to obey and to be the salt and the light
Is more than just a matter of doing what is so clearly right
It also means saying and doing right in every opportunity
Regardless of whether actions others may or may not see

Sunday, January 21, 2018

21 January 2018 - ENCS

On leading an abundant life, Pastor Josh did continue
For per John ten, that is what Christ wants us to do
Paradoxically, we do so by denying self and serving
God values our service and He is always observing

Following Jesus brings us the correct relationships
For then our vision, other individual do not eclipse
And if God is who two people are mutually pursuing 
Then the end result is far better than random wooing

Being great, Jesus said in Mark ten verse forty three
Requires us to continually adopt a servant mentality
We should show this to avoid being a stumbling block
At home, the office, and at church - around the clock

Our bodies should be living sacrifices, Paul did say
Per Romans twelve verse one, this is the holy way
It is both reasonable service and spiritual worship
So between two translations, Pastor said not to trip

In Luke ten verse forty, about serving Jesus did speak
Martha was serving while knowledge Mary did seek
Jesus focused on each woman's underlying intention
If serving, details should not cause worry or tension

There are many ways to worship God, Josh did relate
And importantly, serving and worship are not separate
For we are not required to choose one from the other
If we have the heart, we can learn skills from a brother

Per Romans twelve, we are told our bodies to present
Just showing up indicates that we have the right intent
The term “a living sacrifice” implies a servant mentality
Which is how our lives as Christians really should be

In summary, Josh said serving helps us grow spiritually
And without service, incomplete is our worship actually
We should listen to God and to His instructions obey
He will empower us as we serve and follow His way

Sunday, January 14, 2018

14 January 2018 - ENCS

His series on the New Year, Pastor Joey did today continue
Into New Year’s resolutions, he shared his point of view
We should focus on that what is timeless, per Matthew six
In other words, on God’s kingdom our hearts should affix
Following up on last week’s message, values often shift
After nine eleven, church attendance did massively uplift
But instead of reacting to a crisis, we should be proactive
Ensuring that we have the right priorities each day we live

Pastor said that In order to make God our topmost priority
We must overcome habits occupying of our time a majority
Two-thirds of who we are habits actually end up defining
How habits are developed Joey then spent time outlining
Discover something, desire it, make a decision, and delight
Per Genesis three, these decisions can be wrong or right
Where hearts are focused and habits exist, actions do show
And if actions are oft repeated, addictions develop and grow

To prevent bad addictions becoming an individual’s destiny
Implementing a real strategy for change habits is the key
At the core of any change must be a plan as well as prayer 
Prayer reminds us that God does exist and He does care
We should pray and listen through the day if we believe
An additional benefit is that stress levels He will receive
To build new and healthy habits, old ones we must break
Therefore a desire and decision to change we must make

But changing bad habits to good can often result in a dip
Thus gyms are only full for three months, Pastor did quip
The way around this conundrum is to a new delight find
This is effectively dying to our old self, Pastor did remind
Discipleship also involves dying to one’s self every day
We must adopt a servant mentality, Mark ten does say
For Christ came not to be served by others, but to serve
We must die to bad habits, even if that hits a raw nerve

Dying to self is not easy and requires even more prayer
But it helps relationships and health, Pastor did declare
Christianity is also to die to self, per Matthew sixteen
We are to emulate how Jesus lived, it is clearly seen
By following Christ and carrying our individual cross
We can gain abundant life serving the eternal boss
In summary, we should each make a new resolution
To align our values and die daily is the biblical solution
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Last year, I changed health habits and lost some weight
Now I must take similar steps to other good habits create

Sunday, January 7, 2018

7 January 2018 - ENCS

The topic Pastor Joey communicated for the congregation to hear
Was based on Matthew six twenty one, titled “Values-Filled Year”
In order for us to have clarity and direction that is not arbitrary
Then we need to know what matters, is valuable, and necessary

For where your treasure is, Jesus said your heart will be as well
And then what we do shows our priorities and values in a nutshell
Verse twenty four declares that nobody can serve two masters
Trying to do so leads to conflict, pain, and eventually disasters
Pastor said that we should focus on what is eternal and timeless
Our priorities and values are evident so we don’t have to guess

God is more important than money and health more than a thing
Relationships matter more than food due to the joy they do bring
So God, relationships, health, money, food, things is the hierarchy
To put anything before God in word or deed is just plain malarkey
That prioritised list descends from timeless to that which decays
We should align our life with these values through all of our days

But Pastor hastened to add that the elements must in fact overlap
For we will not be fulfilled or whole if we have even one single gap
Having God and health without relationships leaves one lifeless
Money and enjoyment without excellence actually causes stress
Jesus said that toward God and His Kingdom our focus should go
Seek Him first and from His righteousness valuable things will flow

Relationships, health, finances, enjoyment, excellence can be great
If we focus on the core principles throughout year two zero one eight
Good relationships require a combination of trust, love, forgiveness
Good health is based on nutrition, rest, movement, and low stress
Good finances only result from earning, saving, and investing well
Excellence from hard work, passion, and diligence Pastor did tell

These essentials are universal although we each differently apply
As we improve each of those elements, quality will not pass us by
Of course the converse is unfortunately also true, that is a fact
If one element is askew, everything else it does negatively impact
But our efforts will not succeed without relying on God to us equip
So therefore we should pray, meditate, proclaim, and fellowship

God wants us to become the greatest, which means serving others
But of course this doesn’t just include Christian sisters and brothers
Per Isaiah fifty eight, we must loose our bonds and priorities reboot
Pastor said that we are to live with God-centred values at our root
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As Jimmy Needham sings in one of his classic “Clear The Stage”
“Make some space for the one who deserves it” is indeed sage
And to make productive change in our lives, per a friend’s blog
We need to throw out things that otherwise might our lives clog
For myself, this particularly applies to how I invest my finite time
So this year, I must be more committed to changing my paradigm